Stir-hit Manipur cries for medicines, doctors helpless
Imphal: The crippling economic blockade on two national highways in Manipur entered the 86th day today with the organisers adamant on not lifting it even as prices of essential commodities continued to soar.
The Sadar Hills District Demand Committee (SHDDC) had started its indefinite economic blockades on the National Highway 39 (Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati) and National Highway 53 (Imphal-Jiribam-Silchar) on August one.
The SHDDC has demanded conversion of the Sadar Hills area in Senapati district into a full fledged district. Opposing this, the United Naga Council (UNC) began its economic blockades on the two highways on August 21.
Both the SHDDC and the UNC have turned a deaf ear to appeals by civil society organisations to call off the blockades and take up a democratic form of agaitation. A spokesman of the SHDDC said the blockade would not be withdrawn till its demand was met by the state government. On the other hand, the UNC said that it would not allow Sadar Hills to be made a district unless its contention was heard by the government.
Official sources said the state government has formed a district re-organisation committee to look into boundaries of all districts. Manipur Sports minister N Biren, who is a government spokesman, said prices of potato and onion have come down.
However, LPG cylinders priced at Rs 400 were being sold at Rs 1650, petrol at Rs 100 and diesel at around Rs 80 in the black market, reports said. It said the government was trying its best to bring in these items from outside the state with security escort.
Meanwhile, as the economic blockade in Manipur continues, the state is raising a helpless wail. Seriously ill patients are being turned away from hospitals, which are battling a shortage of life-saving drugs, and many are losing their lives.
“It’s a pitiable situation. As a doctor I feel helpless that I can’t help…and have had to turn away many critically ill patients from my hospital just because there is a scarcity of life-saving drugs and oxygen because of the blockade,” Dr. K.H. Phalin, managing director of Shija hospital in Manipur, told IANS.
According to Phalin, ever since the blockade began Aug 1, the price of an oxygen cylinder has gone up by four-five times.
“Manipur does not have a medical gas plant of its own and is dependent on Assam. Therefore, because of the blockade, the supply of oxygen is affected. A cylinder that normally costs Rs.320 in Assam, costs Rs.1,100 here (from local suppliers) and at one time, went up to Rs.2,400,” said Phalin, who is a surgeon and runs the state’s biggest private hospital.
The hospital, like many others, also sends its own vehicle to get oxygen cylinders and other supplies from Guwahati in Assam, but has to “pay up to some local groups”, who, according to him, charge up to Rs.5,000 to let their vehicle go.
“In two weeks, we have had to reject at least 10 critically ill patients because we are running low on life-saving drugs and are in no position to take their responsibility. Moreover, we cannot take a risk with our own patients in the ICU and those on ventilator who require 15 cylinders every day,” he added.
“There are cases of people losing their lives for lack of timely treatment and life-saving drugs,” Phalin said.
Mandira Singha’s is one such case. The 22-year-old lost her father to the blockade Sep 12.
“The hospital that my father was admitted in said that they don’t have the necessary supply of the drugs that was required to treat him. He was critical, we couldn’t even think of shifting him to Guwahati…so I asked a friend, who was coming from Kolkata, to get the medicine,” Singha said.
“But by the time he reached, it was too late and my father was gone….,” she sobbed.
Activist Madhu Chandra had a similar tale. “I lost my friend Sep 6. He died because the hospital he was being treated in ran out of oxygen.”
“Another family I know lost their son when he drowned in the river. He was working as a helper in a truck and as all the trucks were stalled on the highway because of the blockade, he had gone to take a bath in the river…his poor parents had to pay Rs.15,000 to get his body, when normally it would have cost Rs.5,000, but the extra charge was because of the high fuel price,” he added. According to doctors, besides medicines and oxygen, there has been a shortage of medical equipment as well. (Agencies)