In Imphal govt offices, Hospitals partially operational;staff shortage

Ukhrul: Due to continued tension in Manipur, functioning of government offices and other services have been badly affected, causing severe hardship to the people of the state.

In Ukhrul district, despite the calm in the town after the recent violence, many government offices, including banks and the only government hospital, are suffering from shortage of manpower.
According to the Medical Superintendent of Hungpung District Hospital, Dr. Reisang Raikhan, the hospital is severely short of staff, including doctors and nurses, following the unrest in the state. He said that due to heavy work pressure, the staff are facing difficulties in providing health care services to the public.

At present, out of 14 authorized medical officers, 7 doctors are posted in the hospital. However, at the time of filing this report, there were only four medical officers to run the entire hospital.
Even before the violence started in the state, Ukhrul District Hospital was facing shortage of staff.

Three medical officers from Imphal took leave as a precautionary measure after the clash. However, from next week onwards, all medical officers, including those from Imphal, will join the fowl,” Dr Raikhan told.

He further warned that strict action would be taken against the staff including doctors if they did not turn up for work.
Similarly, shortage of staff was reported from Punjab National Bank (PNB) both at Money Secretariat and Viewland as well as State Bank of India (SBI), causing huge inconvenience to customers.
According to PNB Money Secretariat Manager, Komuni Sapriina, there are six staff including a sweeper to manage the bank. However, on May 3, due to outbreak of communal tension, four staff from Imphal left for their homes.

We need at least two staff in the system to run the office. But for now, I am the only one to do bank work other than as a sweeper,” said the bank manager.
Due to the current staff shortage, Sapriina said the bank is only servicing customers for balance checks, bank statements and ATM card related issues.