Guwahati: The Siang District Students’ Union (SDSU) of Arunachal Pradesh has strongly criticized the prolonged inaccessibility of the newly constructed District Hospital in Boleng.
Although formally inaugurated on December 19, 2024, the hospital remains closed to the public and lacks basic medical services.
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Speaking at the Arunachal Press Club on Wednesday, SDSU vice president (protocol) and chairman of the medical and health sector, Karban Tamut, voiced deep frustration over the state government’s failure to make the facility operational.
He emphasized that residents across the Siang district had placed their hopes on the new hospital serving as the primary healthcare hub.
Tamut described the serious challenges locals face, pointing out that patients still travel more than 90 kilometers to Aalo or Pasighat to receive basic and emergency medical care.
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“In critical situations, time is everything, but in Siang, we’re left waiting outside locked hospital gates while lives are on the line,” he said.
He further pointed out the lack of essential healthcare infrastructure in the district, citing non-functional pharmacies, the absence of chemist outlets, and a severe shortage of emergency medical supplies.
Tamut stated that the district’s current healthcare system violates Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), as it fails to staff operational hospitals with qualified specialists and to equip them with essential medicines and life-saving equipment.
“Siang continues to operate without adequate medical personnel or resources, leaving the population vulnerable,” he added.
The SDSU has called for the immediate appointment of critical medical specialists at the Boleng hospital, including an anaesthesiologist, gynaecologist, paediatrician, geriatrician, orthopaedic surgeon, and general surgeon.
Tamut stressed that these are not optional roles but essential to running an effective emergency care system. “Without these specialists, the hospital is nothing more than an empty building; it can’t save lives,” he said.
The Union also urged the health department to post additional medical officers at the understaffed Community Health Centre in Rumgong.
Demanding a shift in healthcare operations from the outdated facility to the newly built hospital, the SDSU said the older hospital no longer meets the rising healthcare demands of the district’s population.
“We are not asking for special treatment, we are demanding our right to survive,” Tamut concluded, urging both the state health department and elected representatives to take swift and responsible action.