Health research unit set to come up at Spt

Our Correspondent
SENAPATI, Nov 6 : Marking an important chapter in medical research and infra- structure development in Senapati district, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed on Thursday for the establishment of Model Rural Health Research Unit (MRHRU) at District Hospital, Senapati.
The MoA was signed between officials of Health & Family Welfare Ministry, New Delhi and Health Department, GoM & Indian Council of Medical Research (NE) at Imphal. Somorjit Salam, IAS, Special Secretary, Health & Family Welfare; Dharkat Rungsung Luikang, Deputy Secretary, Department of Health Research and Senapati Chief Medical officer (CMO) Dr Percy Sumpi were present at the occasion.
Notably, Dharkat Rungsung Luikang visited Senapati and conducted physical inspection of the site for the MRHRU.
Earlier on July 31, 2025, CMO Dr Percy Sumpi had written to the Health Commissioner for establishment of MRHRU at Senapati.
It may be noted that Senapati district has 31 Primary Health Sub-Centres, 7 Primary Health Centres, 1 Community Health Centre, 1 Sub-District Hospital and 1 District Hospital.
District Hospital-Senapati, a 150 bedded hospital located in the District HQ is the only referral unit in Senapati.
Despite dedicated specialists, Medical Officers and paramedical staff delivering uninterrupted 24x7 health care services to a population of about 3 lakh in the district and also to surrounding districts viz Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, Ukhrul and even to parts of Nagaland, the district still lacks adequate human resources and infrastructure.
The dependency on specialized health care services and advanced technology by the populace of Senapati district and neighbouring hill districts increased during this vulnerable period marked by outbreak of diseases, natural disasters, and effects of climatic change.
Adding to its health care challenges, Senapati district has a long stretch of NH-2, the lifeline of the whole State where hundreds of heavy to light transporters pass through the challenging terrain on a daily basis but with the risk of being exposed to frequent accidents and medical issues.