Health Minister urged for upgradation of Lakhipur PHC

SILCHAR, December 28: During the recent visit of Himanta Biswa Sarma, Minister of Health and Education, to the sub divisional town of Lakhipur, the municipal board of the area submitted a memorandum to him, urging him for upgradation of Lakhipur Primary Health Centre to a 100 bed hospital. Kalyan Chandra Dey, chairman of the board, in the representation pointed out that the sub division located on the border of Manipur is one of the most backward areas of South Assam. Inhabited by various tribes and communities as well as tea garden workers and their families, the area lacks interior communication links as most of the existing roads built under various schemes and projects are in bad shape. It has also been an insurgency affected area with militant groups from Manipur often making their forays. However, with the beefing up of security measures, the scenario has changed.
Lakhipur, it has been stated, is one of the oldest towns in Assam and also one of the two village authorities of the State before Independence. Considering the geographical isolation and strategic location, a health centre was set up about 100 years back. It was updraded to primary health centre in 1956 with 4 beds only. At present, there are 6 beds which are inadequate and insufficient in view of the ever growing population and with that the increasing number of patients.
The memorandum adds to say it is the only PHC under the jurisdiction of Lakhipur sub division. Patients come from near and far as well as remote and isolated places. In the upstream of Barak river, the cluster of villages, mostly tribals, being landlocked, have to depend upon country and power driven boats or launch. Even after reaching this centre of treatment, they cannot get proper medical attention and care due to lack of sufficient number of doctors and beds.
It is no denying the fact that most of the patients, poor and resourceless, have to depend upon the treatment available at the PHC. Those who can afford go to private hospitals nearby for their treatment. But, they have no means to get admitted in Silchar Medical College and Hospital, about 40 km from Lakhipur.
It was in 1960 that Lakhipur was upgraded to a town and a municipal board came up in 2007. In 1992, Lakhipur was upgraded to a civil sub division with its headquarters at Lakhipur. And it is the only sub division in Barak Valley. This has given a new dimension and importance to Lakhipur, a non–descript cluster of villages around.
Considering the facts laid down, Kalyan Chandra Dey has strongly pleaded for the upgradation of the PHC to a 100 bed hospital with the required number of medical and paramedical staffs as well as equipped with all necessary and essential medical tools, instruments and machines, besides regular and sufficient quantity of medicines for making available the best and affordable treatment to the patients, most of whom come from economically weaker sections of society. (Source : SentinelAssam)