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monDAY • mAY 30 • 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 147 • 12 PAGes • 5
T H e
ESTD. 2005
P o W e R
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T R u T H
Idealism is the despot of thought, just as politics is the despot of will — Mikhail Bakunin Public notice
C M Y K
Delivery Time Effective June 2016 Please note that The Morung Express has a new publication deadline of 8:00 p.m., for all documents including press releases, articles and other news items. Any documents received after the new 8:00 p.m., deadline will be published in a later issue. The implementation of the 8:00 p.m. deadline for submission of press releases has enabled us to go to print early. As a result, beginning in June 2016, The Morung Express will now be available in the early morning hours in Jalukie, Tseminyu, Wokha, Zunheboto, Mokokchung, Mao Gate and Senapati. This is in addition to Dimapur and Kohima. We appreciate your continued support. The Morung Express
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
Zunheboto | May 29
There are a couple of things enchanting about the Hezükhü Memorial District Hospital (HMDH), aka the Zunheboto district civil hospital. It has a wellmaintained garden and is located in a serene pocket off Town. It is otherwise nearly empty. On a day The Mosorry, i can’t talk about my rung Express visited the government on national TV. 75-bedded hospital, there were three patients. One of them was a pregnant woman who had to use an Indian-sitting toilet that was raising a stench at the back of the ward. One of the spacious patients’ wards has one CFL bulb in a dim end of the room. When there is no electricity, even this goes off. But it’s not just patients keeping away from the treacherous roads leading up to the hospital. Even and nurses are The Morung Express doctors scanty, leaving the ZunPOll QuEsTiOn heboto civil hospital to Vote on www.morungexpress.com crumble under lack of care SMS your anSwer to 9862574165 from the Government of Nagaland’s Department of Do you agree that we need Health and Family Welfare active smart citizens to successfully implement (DoH&FW).
Yes
no
Others
Should Companies, Contractors and NGOs receiving work-contracts and financial aid from the State Govt be transparent and held accountableto public scrutiny? Yes
70%
no
08%
Others
22%
Details on page 7
Say no to VIP hunting parties: CYF Our Correspondent Kohima | May 29
Intensifying its bio-diversity conservation effort within the Chakhesang jurisdiction of Phek district, the Chakhesang Youth Front (CYF) has undertaken 2nd phase area wise co-ordination meeting cum awareness campaign in different parts of the district. The 2nd phase campaign covered Pfutsero town, Chokriba, Chozuba town, Khuza town and Phek town. CYF found one hunting rules violator and a pork supply defaulter. The CYF expressed dismay on complaints from several federating units that some intellectuals/bureaucrats and VIPs were indulging in hunting parties in the restricted and reserved areas, thereby hampering the conservation effort. It requested those group (s) involved to discontinue such practice to help enhance the conservation effort. The CYF asked all the federating units to ensure every youth in their respective areas to plant a tree each on or before June 5 to commemorate World Environment Day. It asked the concerned authority not to issue arms permit to anyone for the purpose of shooting any wild animal without consultation with concerned youth as per Chakhesang Public Organization (CPO) resolution, adding that if necessary, proper consultation may be initiated. The CYF also appealed neighboring villages to control their cattle from destroying forest resources and urged against extraction of medicinal plants from Chakhesang jurisdiction.
Real defeat Atletico to win Champions League
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Zunheboto civil hospital lies battered Morung Express news
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Nikos gets NABH accreditation; opens laparoscopic training centre
three years, are “attached” and sent away to other, more convenient, places closer home/cities or just don’t report to their duty station. “The Trained Nurses Association of India in Nagaland had once decided not to encourage the attachment of nurses from one station to the other as this creates shortfall in rural areas, but this could not be implemented due to political pressure,” notes the nurse. When faced with dire situations, they have no option but to bring in “proxy” trained nurses. This becomes pertinent particularly at night. Only one nurse, one night attendant and one chowkidar run the show in Zunheboto. Doctors are called in to attend emergency cases, but given the phone network condition in Zunheboto, the efficacy of this system cannot be predicted. Doctors are similarly under strain. For a hospital that mostly delivers babies, it has no gynaecologist, so a medical specialist handles deliveries along with nurses. Other than that, there is one dental and surgery specialist each at the hospital. There is an anaesthetist too but has not been seen in a while. “We do 30-40 deliveries per month in this hospital, of which about 10 would be C-section,” says a staff working at the hospital. If and when complications arise, they have no option
The Hezükhü Memorial District Hospital aka Zunheboto district civil hospital has been long ignored by the nagaland state Government—political transfers and irrational posting within the Department of Health and Family Welfare has led to poor healthcare delivery to the people of Zunheboto district. (Morung Photos)
cannot be used, also due to lack of technicians, there is no money to run a 25KVA generator (except during operations) on its premise and central government schemes meant for maternal health fail. This attitude of neglect is confirmed when The Morung Express visited the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) office in Zunheboto Town. It is housed in a former, mouldy, wooden church structure built in 1939, with its unit spread across six buildings of the complex. Important files and papers—service records, correspondence, appointments, post mortem reports, program files, general establishment files—presumably since 1963, are precariously stacked up on open wooden lofts. Nothing has been digitised and there is no proper infrastructure to protect this critical data that could give a scenario of Zunheboto’s health since the formation of Nagaland State. From here, the CMO manages programs in 47 sub-centres, 13 Primary Health Centres and two Community Health Centres in Zunheboto district. But the civil hospital has “always been a defaulter.” Confirming that the HMDH has been erractically managed, the CMO states that he had to take up the responsibility of sign-
ing staff salaries since 2015. “No JSY sanctions have been made to the civil hospital as it has not produced its bank passbook,” informs the Zunheboto CMO. Generally, an MS handles these duties but sources informed that the previous MS has been transferred and the person who has been appointed now as MS of the HMDH Zunheboto has got a stay order from court on the posting due to the officer’s repeated transfers. The MS position at the Hospital has been shrouded in murky waters for several years now. The MS name board at the HMDH has not even been updated since 2009. It was informed that the DoH&FW has been well in the know of the situation but has chosen to intentionally neglect it. “Transfers and promotions are often politically motivated,” says a senior officer of the DoH&FW. “There are many senior doctors who are resigning from the DoH&FW due to unfair play and irrational posting of doctors,” he reiterates as he himself contemplates resignation if not for the “economic condition” of Nagaland State. In the face of this, the people of Zunheboto have no option but to turn their backs on the government, towards private health care. For the poor, this often means no healthcare at all.
but to refer the patient to a private hospital in Zunheboto Town. Making matters worse for financially ailing patients, the hospital provides almost nothing. “No gloves, no medicines, no needles—patients have to buy all this themselves. We also take a small fee from them to keep the hospital
running,” inform hospital staff. Any Government gains legitimacy by providing not just free healthcare to all citizens but also a robust maternal healthcare mechanism. At HMDH, quite the opposite happens. Since 2014, mothers delivering at this hospital have not been
given their incentives under central schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana.
Kiphire: encroachment forces PHeD Dept to work out from rented house
2 killed, 5 injured after truck falls into Chathe river
SC judgement on border issue will not be accepted: UNTABA
Dearth of nurses & doctors
“There is a dearth of nurses here,” acknowledges a nurse posted at the civil hospital. In what may be a state wide pattern, nurses often get transferred within
Our Correspondent Kiphire | May 29
Established in 1978 and upgraded to Executive Engineer in the year 1997, the Public Health Engineer Department (PHED), Kiphire has not been able to function in their departmental office building till date. They have instead been functioning in a rented house due to encroachment of the department’s land. Of the 10.25 acres of land, for which the department paid compensation of Rs 20,500/- through cheque no. 002141/214029 as per departmental official record of 1979, only a few acres remain with the department. The rest have been en-
croached upon by other departments and private parties. Private buildings, church building, government school building, departmental quarter and offices of different departments have been constructed on this land without the knowledge of the PHED. While the PHED had constructed its office building in the year 200607, the road leading to the office was blocked by private buildings. This forced the department to move its operations to a rented house, since 2006, shelling out lakhs of rupees per year incurring a heavy loss to the state exchequer. Department officials have also accepted that due
to the negligence of successive officers in the department, massive encroachment has taken place in the department land. However, the officials expressed hope that government would step in, since the department’s record on acquisition of the land are clear. Officers of the department also opined that civil societies and leaders should help the department, if developmental activities are to take place in the district, because without land, the department would not be able to do anything. They added that the PHED case is unique as the department has already compensated the land owners.
Morung Express news Dimapur | May 29
Two persons were killed and five were injured in a road mishap which occurred on May 28. According to police sources, a truck with seven occupants, including the driver skidded off the road and fell into the Chathe River some 50 feet below. It reportedly occurred around 12:00-1:00 pm about 2-3 km beyond the Chumukedima police check-post towards Medziphema. The deceased victims, whose identities could not be ascertained, were reportedly at the back of the truck, which was headed for Punglwa. All other occupants, including the driver were seriously wounded.
Army can’t operate in civilian areas without AfsPA: Defence Minister
NEw DElhI, MAY 29 (IANS): The Indian Army cannot operate in civilian areas without a contentious act that gives it sweeping special powers, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said, amid demands from several quarters that the act be revoked from Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern states where it is in operation. “My department’s role comes into the picture when the army is asked to proceed and act in a certain area. At that time, the army requires protection,” Parrikar told IANS in an interview, referring to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that is in place in what are termed “disturbed areas”. Asked about the possibility of revoking the AFSPA, the defence minister said that the subject came under the home ministry, adding it was needed by the army to “proceed and act” in certain areas. He also said immunity to soldiers should be total. The minister stressed that the army will not go in the civilian areas without the act being in place. “If that act is not there, the army will not take action. For carrying out counter ter-
ror operations, the army requires that power. That power comes from such laws; AFSPA is a major one,” he said. “If that is not there, the army will not go to a civilian area for operations. The home ministry should decide on the basis of that, after assessing the situation,” Parrikar maintained. “If the army is required, this act has to be there; otherwise the army cannot operate. Jawans cannot be made to face standard laws,” he contended. There is a “new crop” of activists who keep filing cases against the AFSPA, the minister said, adding in a lighter vein that someone may even file a case on the Kargil conflict even though 17 long years have passed since the Indian Army went into action to evict Pakistani intruders from the icy heights of Jammu and Kashmir. “There is suddenly a crop of activists who try to file cases and all that... Actually if you see the immunity should be total unless it (a wrongdoing) is proved in a particular fashion. How will armed forces act otherwise? Someone can even file a case on Kargil,” he said.
The AFSPA came into force in the northeastern states in 1958 after the Naga tribes rebelled against the govenrment and continues to be in force there. It is also in force in J&K, Assam, Manipur, and parts of Arunachal Pradesh. Among the provisions of the AFSPA, any commissioned officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer or any other person of equivalent rank in the armed forces may fire upon or otherwise use force if he is of the opinion that it is necessary to do so for the maintenance of public order. A soldier, however, needs to first give a warning before opening fire. The forces can destroy arm dumps, make arrests without warrants and can enter and search a premises without a warrant to make an arrest. The act, however, requires the forces to promptly take an arrested person to the nearest police station. The act provides that no prosecution, suit or other legal proceeding shall be instituted, except with the previous sanction of the central government.
Intentional neglect
“I haven’t met the Medical Superintendent (MS) for a long time now,” says a doctor at the Hospital. This is one of the reasons that a semi-functional Xray machine at the HMDH
DIMAPUR, MAY 29 (MExN): The United Naga Tribes Association of Border Areas (UNTABA) today stated that any likely judgments or outcome on the litigation process presently undergoing in the Supreme Court regarding the Assam Nagaland border issue “shall not be accepted by the people of Nagaland. The UNTABA, in a press note from its President, Hukavi Yeputhomi and General Secretary, Imsungmongba Pongen, said this in reference to the long pending case of the Original Suit No. 2 0f 1988 filed by the then AGP Government of Assam for arbitration of inter-State boundary between Nagaland and Assam. The UNTABA stated that arbitration for determination on inter-State boundary between the states is “unconstitutional because as per the Constitutional provi-
sions of Articles 3 & 4 of the Constitution of India, only the Parliament can undertake such power and it is clearly defined in the Points No. 12 & 13 of the ’16 Points Agreement’ of 1960 between the people of Nagaland and Government of India.” It added that the Naga people “strongly believe on the political wisdom of negotiation based on the historical basis of accepting the facts of history when it comes to the determination of Nagaland.” The UNTABA then stated that the boundary issue “is same with the Naga political issue; one cannot be settled without the other because they are interlinked.” It further informed that the UNTABA will be conducting a ‘Naga Peoples’ Dialogue – II’ on the land and boundary issue between Nagaland and Assam some time in later part of June or first week of July 2016.