Cut off by hills, poor roads, weak communication connectivity and distance, the Pessao village in Mon district remains isolated from basic healthcare services.
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Where patients are treated in classrooms and waiting shed
DIMAPUR, AUG. 7 (EMN) — A 140-kilometre journey and a 12-hour rough drive from Mon town leads to Pessao village, located along the Indo-Myanmar border in Mon district. Cut off by hills, poor roads, weak communication connectivity and distance, the village remains isolated from basic healthcare services.
There is no health centre. No doctor. No nurse. No pharmacy.
When fever spikes or a woman goes into labour, villagers have nowhere to turn. Their only option is to carry patients to the thatch-and-timber private school in the village, where classrooms are transformed into makeshift wards.
The same benches where children learn their ABCs become beds for patients. Classroom walls made of bamboo, blue tarpaulin and timber, along with the old Primary Health Centre (PHC) waiting shed, now serve as treatment spaces.
In March 2021, an announcement was made through print media that The Hans Foundation (THF) would develop two Primary Health Centres in Mon district—Tizit PHC and Pessao PHC—and adopt them for five years at an estimated cost of INR 4.5 crore. The foundation board had approved the proposal.
As per the announcement, INR 2 crore would be allocated for Tizit PHC and INR 2.5 crore for Pessao PHC. The project comprised three components -- construction of new buildings and other assets, procurement of equipment, and payment of manpower salaries, including doctors, nurses and technicians, for five years.
Five years later, the outcomes remain uneven.
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Tizit PHC underwent minor repair work and the project was successfully completed, as per sources. Pessao PHC, however, remains far from operational even though the project timeline has expired.
Grass and shrubs have overtaken the site, while villagers claim that even the foundation work that had begun has deteriorated, with iron rods left exposed and rusting.
The condition of Pessao PHC came to light recently after Bopai N Konyak, president of the Shaoching Hoangnyü College Forum, highlighted the village’s healthcare situation and the plight of residents on social media.
For the people of Pessao, the 2021 announcement remains only a promise with little visible work on the ground.
As per the photos and videos shared to Eastern Mirror, inside what is now serving as a makeshift ward in Pessao village, patients sit and lie on wooden benches and tables under mosquito nets tied to bamboo walls and a tin roof.
In one of the photos, children are seen lying on a bench covered with blankets with an IV line attached, while other patients and attendants wait on school desks and chairs. The bare floor, lack of beds and improvised setup reflects the daily reality of healthcare in the remote village, where patients are still treated in classrooms instead of a hospital.
Bopai N Konyak said the condition of the construction site had worsened over time, with the iron rods rusting. “The land still stands empty and even after reminders and assurances from the contractor, the work is far from starting,” he added.
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The old two-room timber PHC building was demolished to make way for the new structure under the The Hans Foundation project in 2021. However, with no replacement building in sight, the village has been left without a proper healthcare facility.
Today, Tragapon School, a private school up to Class V, is being used to accommodate patients. On days when the number of patients increases, students are given a holiday.
When the school rooms are occupied, even the waiting shed of PHC Pessao is used as a ward. The open waiting shed constructed by the Shaoching Hoangnyü College Forum is also used as an additional room for patients. Three children below the age of 14 died in July this year, said Konyak.
With no doctors or nurses posted at the village, residents depend on outside assistance during medical emergencies. ‘With the directive of the District Hospital Mon, the doctor from Changlangshu Community Health Centre, which is the nearest health centre to the village, comes for their aid, providing a brief period of relief,’ he said.
The Hans Foundation had deputed three staff along with one doctor who stayed in the village for almost 3-4 years, but the team was withdrawn in July 2025, he said, adding that patients from neighbouring Myanmar used to cross the border to seek treatment when the facility had staff.
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Paid in 75%, built in none
According to documents accessed by Eastern Mirror, the civil works contract for the Pessao PHC project was awarded to M/S N. Langphong Konyak through a work order issued in July 2022. The scope of work included foundation work, dormitory, staff quarters, public washrooms, reinforcement walls, an approach road, earthwork, and demolition, among others, at a total cost of INR 96.32 lakh.
As per the payment terms, 40% of the project cost -- INR 38.52 lakh -- was to be released as an advance for mobilisation of manpower, materials and machinery. Another 35% -- INR 33.71 lakh -- was to be paid at the commencement of civil construction, while the remaining 25% -- INR 24.08 lakh -- was to be released one month after 100% completion of the civil works. The project was scheduled to be completed within six months of receipt of payment.
However, according to the Pessao village community, the first two instalments amounting to INR 72.24 lakh, or 75% of the total project cost, have already been withdrawn, while construction has seen little to no progress for nearly two years.
The Pessao Village Students’ Union had written to the contractor in February 2025 regarding the delay in the foundation work of PHC Pessao, reminding that the foundation work was expected to be completed by December 2024 as per the assurances given during multiple meetings.
“However, despite the clear timeline and agreed-upon deadlines, the work has fallen significantly behind schedule, causing inconvenience to the community, especially the patients and the medical staff,” the letter stated.
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Documents show that several meetings had been held regarding the delayed construction, but deadlines continued to be missed.
On October 19, 2023, a meeting was held at The Hans Foundation office in Mon with the contractor’s representative, Pessao Village Council Secretary and the Health Centre Management Committee (HCMC) chairman. Another meeting was held on January 29, 2024 in the presence of representatives of the Village Council, Village Students’ Union, HCMC and THF, during which the contractor again assured to complete the construction work by 2024.
Later, on July 26, 2024, the Pessao Village Students’ Union met former MLA N. Bongkhao Konyak at Monyakshu, where he provided a written assurance to restart the work and complete it by December 2024.
In February 2025, another letter was submitted to the contractor urging to expedite the foundation work and complete by March 31, 2025, while warning that failure to meet the deadline would lead to “further consequences” for which the union would not be held responsible.
Frustrated by repeated false assurances, the Pessao Village Council sought the intervention of the Mon Deputy Commissioner on June 1, 2025, to ensure completion of the civil works at PHC Pessao. With no resolution in sight, the community decided to approach the media as their last hope for intervention and completion of the stalled project.
The assurances remain unfulfilled to this day, leaving villagers to bear the consequences.
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