SHILLONG, APR 25: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Tuesday demanded enquiry into the causes of the high fever amongst the residents of Shella village and its adjoining areas besides providing adequate medicines in Ichamati CHC and Shella PHC for treatment of typhoid fever.
A memorandum in this regard was submitted jointly by the HYC central body and Shella Area Unit to the District Medical & Health Officer (DM&HO), East Khasi Hills for his necessary intervention.
“We demand that the necessary medicines for treatment of typhoid should be made available at the earliest in Ichamati CHC and Shella PHC as well as to conduct necessary enquiry into the causes and to also conduct awareness program on the symptoms, causes, treatment and prevention of the disease,†the HYC said.
It urged the DM&HO to take serious note of the non-availability of important lifesaving medicines in Shella PHC and Ichamati CHC, under Sohra Civil Sub-Division.
“We were informed that a particular patient, a young kid, with high fever visited Shella PHC today, the 25th April, 2023 and during investigation it is found that he had typhoid fever but the said PHC cannot treat him there due to non-availability of medicines and hence for treatment of the typhoid fever he was referred to Ichamati CHC, which is around 13-15kms away, but on reaching the said CHC, it was informed that the necessary medicines are also not available in the CHC at present and hence he was further referred to Sohra CHC, which is around 45 Kms from Shella Village,†the HYC said.
“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 stocks 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,†it added.
Stating that typhoid fever is caused by a bacteria and a person with typhoid maybe a carrier of the said disease and thus infect other people also, the HYC requested the DM&HO that necessary direction maybe given to the concern health officer(s) in Shella PHC to conduct an enquiry/tests of the patients having fever in the village to find out the causes, to conduct awareness program in the Village regarding the symptoms, causes, treatment and prevention of the disease and any other measures necessary as per protocols to check the spread of the disease and prevent any major outbreak which may lead to loss of precious lives of our villagers.