The Hynñiewtrep Youths Council (HYC) has written to the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) of East Khasi Hills to complain about the alleged absence of lifesaving medicines at health centres serving the people of Shella and Ichamati.
The HYC said that a young child with high fever had visited Shella primary health centre today and was diagnosed with typhoid. However, as the PHC does not have the required medicines, the child was referred to Ichamati community health centre some 15km away.
Even that CHC, though, did not have the required medication and the boy was pointed towards Sohra CHC, which is 45km away from Shella.
“This is totally unacceptable as the said Ichamati CHC, being the first referral unit (FRU) from the adjoining PHCs, which cater to a population of thousands of villagers, does not even have stock of life saving medicines to treat a disease like typhoid fever and this has put the life of that particular patient and others who are suffering from such type of disease at a great risk, which may even lead to a loss of precious lives,” the pressure group said.
Meanwhile, the HYC also requested that necessary direction be given to the health officials in Shella to find out the causes of the outbreak of typhoid, which is a contagious disease, and to conduct awareness programmes in the village in order to prevent its spread.
