Editor,
As a rejoinder to what Dr Batskhem Myrboh had written in these columns (ST March 9, 2026) on ‘ Problems faced by students in the Meghalaya Police Public school, I would also like to reiterate similar concerns. After discussing and making further enquiries, it has been brought to light that there are serious issues that need to be addressed by the Management of the school. Apart from what Dr Myrboh had mentioned, there are still some more subjects which do not have any teachers. Class 1 does not have an EVS teacher nor is anyone teaching the students Arts and Craft. Till date, no one has taught English literature to the Class 2 students. Also, due to the shortage of teachers, many of the classes are left unattended. Students at the junior level are at an impressionable age and leaving out important subjects due to a dearth of teachers cannot be accepted.
This lackadaisical attitude on the part of the Management needs to be checked. As parents, we urge the management to be accountable by addressing the problems at the earliest. Once again we applaud the teachers for their tireless efforts in taking the extra mile for the students in the school.
Yours etc.,
Name withheld on request
Via email
War for Petro-Dollar dominance
Editor,
Apropos of the editorial “War hurting life” (ST 11th March 2026), people seem to get this conflict completely wrong. When they watch the news, they think the war is between Iran and Israel. They think the battlefield is in Gaza or Lebanon or on Israeli soil. And yes, those are active fronts and real places where real fighting is happening. But they are not the main events. The real battlefield, the one that actually matters in the grand scheme of things, is the Gulf. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. These are places that matter most in this conflict and most people do not even realize it. They are critical nodes of the global financial system. They are the infrastructure of the petrodollar. The oil they produce, the money they generate, the investments they make, all of that flows directly into global markets and reinforces the dominance of the U.S. dollar.
The attacker (Iran) spends $50,000. The defender (U.S. and Israel) spends $10 million. The attacker is spending a fraction of a penny for every dollar the defender spends. And it gets worse. In many cases, the defending side does not fire just one interceptor at each incoming target. Sometimes they fire two, sometimes five. There have been reported instances where 10 or even 11 interceptors were launched at a single incoming missile or drone. 11 interceptors at $10 million each against a target worth $50,000. That is over a hundred million spent to stop a $50,000 weapon. Now scale that up. Imagine hundreds of these drones being launched. Imagine thousands over the course of a prolonged conflict. Every single engagement is a financial victory for the attacker and a financial haemorrhage for the defender.
This is not a war confined to military bases anymore. It is a war about which society can absorb more damage, which population can endure more suffering, and which economy can survive more disruption. And that makes it one of the most dangerous types of conflict imaginable. The earlier it ends the better but the Iran war is a catalyst: it exposes the fragility of dollar dominance and accelerates experiments with alternative currencies. The petrodollar is less as collapse, more as erosion and transition in a multipolar world.
Yours etc:
VK Lyngdoh
Via email
Emergency HealthCare in Meghalaya
Editor,
The tragic loss of a life after a sudden cardiac arrest exposes the dangerous gaps in emergency healthcare services in Meghalaya. The unfortunate and deeply saddening incident that occurred on the evening of 19/02/2026 has once again exposed the fragile and inadequate state of our healthcare system in Meghalaya.
Our sitting Member of Parliament (L) Dr Ricky A.J Syngkon, suffered a severe cardiac arrest while playing football at a local futsal ground. In a desperate attempt to save his life, he was rushed to the nearest health facility — Mawiong Community Health Centre (CHC). However, due to poor infrastructure, lack of emergency equipment, and absence of doctors on duty, immediate life-saving treatment and revival could not be provided. Precious golden minutes were lost.
He was then shifted to H. Gordon Roberts Hospital, where despite sincere and dedicated efforts by the medical team, he could not be revived. This tragic loss is not just a personal or political loss — it is a wake-up call for the entire state.
If such a situation can happen to a public representative, one can only imagine the plight of ordinary citizens living in rural and semi-urban areas who depend entirely on government health centres during emergencies.
This incident exposes serious loopholes in our healthcare system:
• Many CHCs and PHCs lack functional emergency care units and cardiac response systems.
• Shortage and absence of doctors and trained emergency staff, especially during evening hours.
• Lack of basic life-saving equipment such as defibrillators, oxygen support systems, and cardiac monitors.
• Delayed ambulance and referral systems, causing loss of the critical golden hour.
• Inadequate emergency preparedness for cardiac arrest, trauma, and sudden medical crises.
Immediate steps that must be taken:
Upgrade all CHCs and major PHCs into fully functional 24×7 emergency centres.
Ensure mandatory presence of emergency-trained doctors and nurses at all times.
Install defibrillators, oxygen support, cardiac monitors, and basic ICU facilities in every CHC.
Strengthen ambulance networks and rapid referral systems to reduce delays during emergencies.
Conduct regular emergency response training including CPR and cardiac life support for healthcare staff.
Establish strict monitoring and accountability systems to ensure doctors and equipment are available.
Strengthen linkages between CHCs, district hospitals, and tertiary care centres.
Healthcare is not a luxury — it is a fundamental right. The loss of even a single life due to preventable gaps in emergency care is unacceptable. This tragic incident must not pass as just another headline. It must become a turning point for urgent reforms in Meghalaya’s healthcare system.
“No life should be lost because a hospital was unprepared.”
Yours etc.,
Dr OS Jyrwa,
Via email
