The state of Khliehriat Community Health Centre is a sad reflection of the healthcare infrastructure in Meghalaya.
Though the state government had announced in 2013 that it would turn the CHC into a 100-bed hospital, the reality on the ground makes a mockery of that promise.
Members of the Synjuk Waheh Shnong of East Jaintia Hills met with the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO), Dr D Shylla, about the CHC’s drawbacks.
The facility only has an installed capacity of 65 beds and does not have X-ray or ultrasound capabilities, meaning that people arriving for treatment are often sent to Jowai or Shillong.
The DMHO informed that while there are enough beds to make good on the government’s promise to turn it into a 100-bed hospital, the CHC does not have enough room to keep them.
“We need a secure building and rooms to keep the beds and many other facilities and we will need more staff once the CHC is equipped with 100 beds,” he said.
