TURA: Jengjal could soon be the one-stop medical centre specialising in the treatment of mother and child, on the lines of Christian Medical College-Vellore, as the government prepares to hand over its newly constructed primary health centre (PHC) to a team of paediatricians and gynaecologists who, with years of experience, have already been giving their services to the people of the area for the last two-and-a-half years.
Despite opposition from some quarters to the move, a majority of the public from the area have given their endorsement for the Vellore doctors who, since their arrival, have been successfully treating an assortment of illnesses relating to women and children in the area.
A recent opposition by some student leaders to the Vellore doctors taking charge of the PHC to provide special medical treatment to patients has not gone down well with the medical fraternity and the government.
“These doctors have come all the way from Vellore to give their services to the most-needy without charging anything and there is opposition? This is very tragic,” lamented Health Commissioner and secretary, P Sampath Kumar following the publication of critical news reports which have been deemed one-sided.
“In the whole of Garo Hills there is just one child specialist (paediatrician) in the government hospital in Tura, while Jengjal is very fortunate to have two paediatricians and two gynaecologists from CMC Vellore,” he announced.
Raising concern about the high maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the state, particularly in Garo Hills, Health Commissioner Sampath Kumar revealed that each week there are around 1,500 maternity deliveries in the state.
“We have records to show that every month there are around 10 mothers who lose their lives during delivery due to lack of medical treatment. This is a very high MMR for our state. That is why we need to have more specialists,” he said.
He recalled a recent visit to a remote health sub-centre in West Khasi Hills where a pregnant mother delivered her child on the roadside and had to walk for hours with her placenta outside and the umbilical cord of the baby still intact just to reach the sub-centre.
The health commissioner has appealed to the people of Garo Hills not to fall prey to rumours and instead welcome the arrival of specialised doctors who are providing their service for the society.