Pathological Lab at Silchar Medical in a pathetic condition, patients suffer endlessly

October 20: It’s just a few days ago, when a 25-year old boy Sayantan Chakraborty died due to lack of Angioplasty facility at Silchar Medical College & Hospital (SMCH). This death moved the people of Silchar as the friends of Sayantan organised a massive candle rally to protest his death. However, like every other odd incidents, the death of Sayantan will also go down the pages of the past and people of Barak Valley again will go in the habit of forgetting the past agonies and move ahead.

It was Steve Martin who said, “The public has a short memory.” Probably, the political dispensation also understands this bitter truth and silently wait for time to cover up everything. The high voltage election campaign for Ratabari Assembly constituency in Karimganj district just concluded, but never once the leaders of the two major political parties made ‘improved health services’ in Barak Valley a poll issue. Ratabari will go to polls on 21 October with political parties garnering votes in the name of caste, creed and religion. The electorate too being gladly involved in caste dynamics find no time to think that, if tomorrow apart from fever, stomach upset & the like they would not get proper treatment for any other disease at SMCH for lack of machines or specialists.

A casual glance at Central Composite Lab (CCL) in Silchar Medical College & Hospital (SMCH) would give shiver to many. Without proper diagnosis, treatment is not possible. Doctor’s refer the patient to clinical pathological labs for analysis of bodily fluids such as blood and urine, as well as tissues. The CCL at SMCH does this work. Almost all patients indoor or outdoor has to go for various types of blood & urine tests before the start of treatment. But just hold on….. The way in which this lab functions is certainly not the way to deal with patients, some of whom are quite serious.

There are 4 counters in the Central Composite Lab (CCL) in SMCH for the patients, out of which 2 counters are earmarked for female and 2 for male. But curiously, most of the days, 2 of the counters or atleast 1 of the counters remain closed. In case of worst circumstances, at times just one single counter remains functional. On query, the employees come up with a common reply- “There is shortage of staff. What can we do? You go and ask the Minister?” Sometimes they say, “Most of the staff are on leave” or “Posts are lying vacant since long” and many such other explanations. Many a times the behaviour of the staff in the counter towards the patients sound too odd. Such an bizarre incident was reported in a Facebook page ‘Dark Horse Prime.’

When out of the four counters, 2 counters remain closed, the queue outside become so long that it reaches outside on the road inside SMCH. ‘Dark Horse Prime’ reported one such incident when two counters were closed. Out of the other two counter, in one of them a child was sitting on one and watching a computer for long hours and only one counter was functioning. Patients, young and old, male and female were stranded for long hours for their turn to come but in vain.

SMCH caters to the patients from the three districts of Barak Valley, Mizoram & Tripura. So one can imagine the rush of patients over there. If this be the condition of the Central Composite Lab (CCL) in SMCH, then many patients will breath their last or even get more complicated before they can collect their test report and approach the doctor for treatment.

“Are we really guardianless?” asks a patient.