Special report : Part 3 of 3
From Biplab Kr Dey
BAGHMARA (SGH), Nov 6: Despite being one of the most naturally gifted districts of Meghalaya, South Garo Hills (SGH) is plagued by systemic neglect, especially to the state of healthcare with Baghmara Civil Hospital (BCH) bearing testimony to this fact.
The first part of this report showed how badly depleted the infrastructure in the hospital is while the second part showed the inadequacies being faced by the staff of the hospital. This report will shed light into how bad it is to be a patient or a doctor in possibly the worst Civil Hospital in the country.
Tribulations of health providers and receivers
Imagine being injured in a car accident, needing immediate medical support and the lone ambulance fetches you from the accident site to the Baghmara Civil Hospital (BCH), where you are rushed to the emergency unit only to be referred to the Tura Civil Hospital, located more than 120 km away, through one of the worst stretches of road in the entire country.
The situation above is not a made-up story but a grim reality of how things were in the BCH till about 3 months ago. Even now, the situation has improved but only slightly.
The BCH was earlier a Community Health Centre (CHC) till the year 2012 when it was turned into a Civil Hospital. However the BCH more or less continues to operate as a CHC even till the present day with the lack of specialists making healthcare a pipe dream for most in the district.
Since its inception more than 30 years ago, the Baghmara Civil Hospital has had an Operation Theatre but due to a lack of specialists and trained personnel, no operations were performed till recently in July this year when a new OT section was opened. While it is still to be inaugurated, sources in the hospital said that the OT is now operational with doctors performing life saving operations as hospitals should.
“It’s really hard to imagine that a 100 bedded civil hospital was operating as a referral centre till Jul this year. The only services being provided then were normal delivery cases, OPD and the bare minimum in health support. The state government seems to have upgraded the hospital and then completely forgotten it existed. This is so wrong for a district that has 2.2 lakh residents,” felt social activist, Greneth Sangma following the visit.
The situation earlier led to many forsaking going for healthcare with many instances of patients actually sneaking into nearby Bangladesh to places like Sherpur, Mymensing and even Dhaka due to the lack of healthcare in Baghmara and other parts of the district of SGH, despite the risk of discovery and imprisonment.
“It is not uncommon and we know of many patients who took the chance and then returned after getting treatment in Bangladesh.
Many of them have even come to us for post operation medical care. They told us their stories and all we could do was hang our head in shame. Their desperation is understandable but our lack of facilities to support them is definitely not,” said a doctor from BCH.
Stories of patients who opted out of getting medical care because they were referred elsewhere are a dime a dozen, given the costs involved as well as the travel in conditions that could actually kill a patient.
Currently the hospital, after the operationalization of the OT, offers general medicine, OPD, OBS, gynecology, pediatric, palliative and geriatric care. However if the case requires more intense investigation, the same cases are referred to Tura Civil Hospital.
“We cannot do general surgeries including cases like appendix, hernia or even gall stones. Due to the lack of an MD – Medicine, cases relating to high pressure, kidney diseases, etc; have to be sent to other hospitals. The worst part is the lack of child specialists. We get multiple cases every month of children but can only treat them as regular patients. The more serious cases have to be referred,” added the doctor on condition of anonymity.
The situation earlier was drastic for women and children with many mothers and children losing their lives as they could not afford the costs of travel and high medical bills.
“Some who can afford it, go for the treatment while others who can’t return home and take local medicine. There was an increase in infant-mother deaths till the OT was started and C-section performed in complicated cases,” the doctor added.
In Oct 2024, a false hope of sorts was given to the BCH with the opening of a renal care centre by the Hans Charitable Trust. Within just a few months, the centre was transferred to the Tura, crushing the hopes of thousands who sought renal (kidney) care.
“It’s frustrating to work without a proper structure and facilities and limited resources. Even with these shortcomings we are still performing and doing our duties. We have to bear the brunt of these shortcomings and often get trolled on social media. We feel like outcasts but knowing that we have done our duty well and God as judge we return to our duty with a fresh hope,” said another doctor on an emotional note.
“It’s very frustrating to see patients suffer. Those who can afford, go to a better facility while some sell their live-stocks, land or whatever belongings they have for their treatment. Those who can’t afford, go home and die. Is this the best the state has to offer to us in South Garo Hills,” asked Greneth.
Staff quarters or dept experiments?
Greneth also pointed to the living conditions of staff of the hospital, be it doctors, nurses or even other staff.
“The rooms and buildings are ancient and in many of these quarters windows are blank and even doors to some of the toilets are displaced. In some places, there is water seepage that drips through the roof. You would think the state government and the medical department is actually trying to punish you for being a doctor or nurse,” he felt.
The activist pointed out that the situation was the same for everyone – doctors, nurses or the general staff.
“They are definitely maintaining equality that way and not providing anyone with suitable living accommodation. Many forgo these sad living conditions and choose to rent in the town. From the situation presented, these quarters seem more appropriate for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary (AH&Vety) experiments than those for medical staff. If the working condition of the hospital is bad, the living conditions being provided are the worst,” felt the activist.
The South Garo Hills district has a population close to 2.2 lakh and is divided into 4 C&RD Blocks. The district is rich in natural resources including coal, which has helped fill the coffers of the state since its discovery.
It is also the district that produced the first Chief Minister of the state, Capt Williamson A Sangma and boasts of natural beauty like no other in the Garo Hills region. It borders neighbouring Bangladesh and is considered remote.
