Tseminyu’s health centres struggle as 3 doctors test COVID positive

May 28, 2021 74 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 28

Tseminyu in Nagaland’s Kohima district is reeling under an acute shortage of medical officers even as the sub-division is witnessing a surge in fresh COVID-19 cases.

As on May 27, two out of three government-run health facilities in the sub-division were practically out of service with three doctors recently testing positive for COVID-19.

According to information received by The Morung Express, two medical officers (MO) posted at Tseminyu CHC tested positive a week ago, followed by another, who was posted at Tesophenyu PHC.

It left the Tseminyu CHC with two dentists, one AYUSH doctor and a handful of support staff to take guard. The CHC has a capacity of 30 beds on paper. In reality, only 10 could be termed as functional and that too, without the requisite support equipments aside from two oxygen cylinders.

At Tesophenyu, the PHC was without a resident doctor after its lone MO tested positive. The other PHC at Chunlikha was said to be running with one MBBS doctor and one AYUSH doctor along with an unspecified number of support staff.

“As a result, the PHC (Tesopheyu) is practically inactive as the support staff is also in quarantine. Presently, CHC Tseminyu is sealed for 48 hours,” disclosed a concerned citizen from Tseminyu, who reminded that other medical cases are almost forgotten. Sample collection for contact tracing was scheduled to resume from May 28 at Tseminyu CHC.

In the meantime, the sub-division has been returning high sample positivity rate with around 50 cases detected so far and contact tracing on with reduced workforce.

The Health department was said to have responded to the crisis by temporarily assigning one MO from Chiephobozou CHC to take charge of Tseminyu CHC “until the two doctors resume duty.”

The citizen wondered as to how one doctor, whose primary responsibility was attached to another CHC, would be able to shoulder the responsibility of three doctors in the present situation.

Considering an emerging crisis in a relatively neglected sub-division, the citizen revealed that the Rengma Youth Organisation and the Rengma Students Union had written to the Health department on May 24 calling for immediate preemptive measures.

Among other requirements, the two organizations called for enhancing the intake capacity at Tseminyu CHC to 20 beds at least and setting up a quarantine facility with oxygen support at Tseminyu town as back up. They also called for deployment of additional medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, and adequate safety kits for frontline workers at Tseminyu CHC and at Tesophenyu and Chunlikha PHCs.

The organizations also called for a dedicated ambulance at Tesophenyu.

The State Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) department was still to respond to the letter, as on May 27.

H&FW dept ‘requests’ retention of doctors at NHAK
Meanwhile, there was a development on May 26. The H&FW on Wednesday requested for retention of three doctors, who were “temporarily deployed to Tseminyu sub-division” from NHAK.

A copy of the letter from the Principal Director, H&FW, dated May 26, asked the chairperson of the DTF, Kohima to retain the three Medical Officers at NHAK citing, “to maintain stability in management for smooth functioning of COVID related activities.”

The letter stated that all three doctors had pre-designated responsibilities with one said to be on active COVID duty at NHAK, the second assigned on “Governor’s duty” and the third assigned on “Chief Minister’s duty.”

The three doctors were temporarily deployed to Tseminyu from NHAK, as per an order issued by the Kohima DTF, which was also dated May 26.

Source: https://morungexpress.com/tseminyus-health-centres-struggle-as-3-doctors-test-covid-positive