Doomdooma: A tea factory worker died on Friday afternoon at Rupai Tea Estate in Assam’s Tinsukia district, with allegations of medical negligence.
The incident has raised concerns about the health facilities available in Assam’s tea gardens.
Bijoy Kharia, an ad-hoc worker aged around 30, reportedly fell unconscious while on duty in the factory division of Rupai Tea Estate.
He later died, allegedly due to the non-availability of an ambulance and inadequate medical facilities at the garden hospital, which is around 15 km from the Doomdooma First Referral Unit (FRU).
Following his death, thousands of tea garden workers, accompanied by leaders of the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA), gheraoed the managerial office and demanded accountability from garden manager Ujjwal Kant Saikia.
A team of Baghjan Police reached the spot soon after the incident and brought the situation under control. The body was later sent for post-mortem examination.
“Kharia’s death was the result of management negligence. We do not want such managers in any tea garden. The bereaved family must be provided compensation immediately, and all necessary support must be extended to his young children until they become self-dependent,” said Irot Tanti, president of the ATTSA Doomdooma regional committee, at the spot.
The incident has also brought attention to the need for better healthcare infrastructure in tea gardens, including digital systems and improved emergency response mechanisms.
“Every tea garden’s health department should have the necessary software and digital systems. At the same time, there should be discussions on what new software and technologies will be required in the coming days,” said Dilip Tanti, a local college student.
He said greater use of artificial intelligence and modern technology could help improve healthcare delivery and monitoring in tea garden areas.
“Digital systems should be developed to ensure better monitoring of healthcare services. Telemedicine facilities, doctors’ attendance and patients’ digital health records can be systematically maintained through such technologies,” he said.
According to him, maintaining digital health records would allow doctors and healthcare providers to access patients’ previous medical histories when required, helping them make timely and appropriate medical decisions.
The death has again raised concerns about the quality, accessibility and emergency preparedness of healthcare facilities serving tea garden communities in Assam, where many people depend on plantation-based medical infrastructure.