Poor health services major election issue in Lahaul-Spiti

Dipender Manta

Mandi, May 17

Poor health services in Lahaul and Spiti are a major poll issue in the Assembly byelection this time. The fight is mainly between BJP candidate Ravi Thakur, Congress candidate Anuradha Rana and Independent candidate Ram Lal Markanda.

Expectant mothers face difficulties

• The major demand of the area residents is the appointment of regular specialist doctors like radiologist, gynaecologist, ENT, paediatrician and medicine specialists at the district hospital, Keylong, and a gynaecologist and a radiologist at the Kaza hospital
• During the winter, expectant mothers face difficulties in the absence of gynaecologists and radiologists in the hospitals of the district

The residents of the tribal district are suffering for the past many years due to poor medical care facilities in the district as no specialist doctors are posted here. As a result, the residents have to travel a long distance to reach the Kullu hospital from the Lahaul valley and the IGMC, Shimla, from the Spiti valley for medical treatment in case of any emergency.

Ravi Thakur and Markanda were elected MLA from Lahaul and Spiti in the past but they could not to resolve the issue of the residents.

The major demand of the area residents is the appointment of regular specialist doctors like radiologist, gynaecologist, ENT, paediatrician and medicine specialists at the district hospital, Keylong, and a gynaecologist and a radiologist at the Kaza hospital in the district.

During the winter, expectant mothers face difficulties in the absence of gynaecologists and radiologists in the health institutions of this district. However, ultrasound and X-ray machines are available at the district hospital, Keylong, and the Kaza hospital, which are gathering dust in the absence of radiologists.

Mohan Lal Relingpa, a resident of the Lahaul valley, said that whenever a doctor prescribes ultrasound on expectant mothers in Lahaul and Spiti, they have no choice but to travel a long distance to reach Kullu from Lahaul. Similarly, the situation is grim in the Spiti valley where they have to travel a long distance to Rampur in Shimla or Kinnaur to avail of the facility.

Sudershan Jaspa, a social activist of Lahaul and Spiti, said that for the past many years, the residents of the district had been deprived of basic health facilities. “It is a major poll issue in the Assembly byelection. The candidates should make their vision public as to what they will do ensure better medical health care facilities in the district,” he added.

Chief Medical Officer, Lahaul and Spiti, Dr Roshan Lal told The Tribune, “There are 50 sanctioned posts of Medical officer in Lahaul and Spiti while we have 52 medical officers available. However, of the 52 medical officers, we have only one anaesthesia specialist, one orthopaedic doctor and one general surgeon, while there is no gynaecologist, paediatrician, ENT and medicine specialist and radiologist available.”

The CMO said, “Technically, all posts of medical officer are filled but according to the demand of area residents we have no gynaecologist, paediatrician, ENT, radiologist and a medicine specialist available here in the district.”

“There are 37 posts of staff nurse sanctioned in the district, of which 31 are filled while six posts are lying vacant,” he added.