Press Release

Mizoram: Tribal villagers demand medical facilities in Longpuighat amid rising COVID19 cases.

July 13, Longpuighat: The Village Councils of Longpuighat I and II and the civil society organizations in Chakma Autonomous District Council in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram have demanded that the Primary Health Centre at Longpuighat be immediately made functional in view of the rising number of COVID19 positive cases in the area. In a petition submitted to Dr R. Lalthangliana, Health Minister of Mizoram today, the local Village Council Presidents and NGOs namely the Young Chakma Association, Mizoram Chakma Students Union, Chakma Mahila Samiti and the Village Level Task Force (VLTF) stated that a total of 312 positive cases of COVID19 have been found in Longpuighat I and II and the patients are being kept at the local Community Covid Care Centres. Apart from coronavirus, several tribal villagers are also suffering from different diseases but the patients are not getting any medical care. “Due to total lockdown (Longpuighat having been declared a red zone), the patients are not being able to get treatment due to lack of any doctor or nurse at the village. 

The Primary Health Centre at Longpuighat is lying defunct and closed”, stated Mr Sudhir Tongchangya, Joint Secretary of Joint VLTF Committee of Longpuighat. “The situation is getting more serious by the passing day. Longpuighat and its neighbouring area is presently full of sick people, who are not getting any kind of treatment”, he further stated. The joint petition requested the Health Minister to immediately despatch a team of medical doctors with necessary medical supplies for treatment of COVID19 and non- COVID19 patients at Longpuighat and to make the Longpuighat PHC functional by posting sufficient number of MBBS doctors, nurses, health workers along with supply of basic life-saving medicines to prevent unnecessary deaths and hardships of the tribal people in the locality. 

For any further information or clarification, please contact Mr. Sudhir Tongchangya at 7085193405