Doctor flees after getting demand note in GH

TURA: An extortion demand issued by unidentified miscreants has forced  the lone doctor working at Mangsang PHC in East Garo Hills to flee to its district headquarter, Williamnagar.
The Mangsang Regional Unit of the GSU, which brought the matter to light, informed that a note demanding Rs 50,00000 was sent to the concerned doctor through SMS by unknown miscreants recently which led the doctor to desert the place.
Following the incident, the GSU along with villagers and school students organized a public peace rally at Mangsang on Thursday. During the rally around 500 school students from the area while holding placards condemned the incident and made an appeal not to target public servants in future.
Meanwhile, in the absence of the doctor at the PHC the people of the area are forced to look elsewhere for their medical needs as well as other necessities like obtaining medical certificates.
“Since there is no doctor at the PHC we now have to travel to Williamnagar, Tura or Goalpara spending large amounts of money even for minor checkups. We are facing problems in obtaining  birth and death certificates as well as even to get necessary documents attested as there is no other Gazetted Officer in the area,” the GSU said.
The GSU along with other pressure groups recently also took up the matter with the District Medical Officer.
However, the official was unable to give them any kind of assurance. The pressure groups now have decided to approach the Health Minister and the Home Minister for their grievances.