Allegations of inadequate healthcare services have once again surfaced at the RGM Sub-Divisional Hospital in Kailashahar under Unakoti district after the family of an 11-month-old child claimed they were asked to purchase a thermometer from a private shop before treatment could proceed.

As per the allegation of the family, the incident took place around 11:30 PM on Wednesday when Deepak Shukla Baidya, a resident of Ward No. 3 under Chandipur Gram Panchayat in Kailashahar, rushed his 11-month-old son to the hospital after the child developed a high fever.

The family alleged that the doctor on emergency duty, Dr. Anubhav Das, prescribed medicines without first checking the child’s body temperature. When the child’s father and grandmother requested that the fever be examined before medication was administered, the doctor reportedly informed them that the hospital did not have a thermometer. They were allegedly told that there were no funds available to procure one and that they would have to purchase a thermometer from a nearby shop if they wanted the child’s temperature to be checked.

Despite the child’s temperature not being recorded, hospital staff allegedly began preparing to administer injections and other medicines based on the doctor’s prescription. Left with no alternative, the child’s father purchased a thermometer from a private medical store and brought it back to the hospital so that the treatment could continue.

The child’s grandmother expressed her frustration, saying that they had chosen the government hospital because they could not afford private healthcare. “Government hospitals are meant for poor people, but even a basic thermometer is unavailable here. We are also forced to buy essential medicines from outside,” she alleged.

The incident has once again raised questions over the state of healthcare services at the RGM Sub-Divisional Hospital. Despite repeated claims by the state government regarding improvements in the health sector, such incidents expose persistent deficiencies in the public healthcare system.

The issue comes barely a month after government lawyers in Kailashahar alleged medical negligence in the treatment of an advocate who later died following an accident. They had demanded a proper inquiry and set a 45-day deadline for appropriate action.

Following that controversy, state’s  SC Welfare Minister Sudhangshu Das visited the district hospital, spending nearly two hours inspecting various wards and interacting with doctors, healthcare workers, patients, and their families. After reviewing the situation, the minister acknowledged that certain shortcomings existed in the healthcare system.

The latest allegations have once again brought the condition of Kailashahar’s government healthcare services under scrutiny. With private healthcare facilities expanding in Unakoti district, recurring complaints about the lack of basic medical services in government hospitals continue to cause concern among patients and their families.

While, the hospital administration has not yet issued an official response to the allegations.