Munish Sood
Kaza / Lahaul-Spiti
The Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Teling in the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti has been operating for years without essential medical staff, depriving villagers of even basic healthcare services. BJP Yuva Morcha Spiti Mandal President Dorje Namgyal has accused the Congress government and the local MLA Anuradha Rana of “gross neglect” of public health infrastructure in the region.
Addressing the media, Dorje Namgyal said repeated appeals to the government, district administration and the local MLA have failed to yield any results. “Teling PHC has been left virtually non-functional. There is no pharmacist posted here, forcing residents to travel long distances even for minor ailments. This is a clear failure of governance and a serious injustice to people living in tribal areas,” he said.
Dorje Namgyal said that on January 3, BJP Yuva Morcha Spiti Mandal submitted a memorandum to the local MLA through the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kaza, demanding the immediate permanent appointment of a pharmacist at the Teling PHC. “We have also raised this issue repeatedly on social media and through public representations, but unfortunately the Congress MLA from Lahaul-Spiti has maintained complete silence,” he added.
Taking a direct dig at MLA Anuradha Rana, Dorje Namgyal said that promises of tribal welfare made during election campaigns have remained only on paper. “When elections come, tall claims are made in the name of tribal interests. But today, even after being in power, the local MLA has failed to ensure even the most basic healthcare facility for her own constituency. This raises serious questions about her priorities and commitment to the people,” he said.
He also questioned the government’s standard response that the ‘process is underway’. “Is the life of people living in tribal areas less valuable than a file movement? Should the patients of Teling be made to wait for months simply because files are moving from one desk to another?” he asked.
Calling the long-vacant pharmacist post a “direct administrative failure”, Dorje Namgyal said that if the local MLA were truly accountable to the public, the situation would never have reached such a critical stage.
Through the media, he placed four clear demands before the government:
1. Immediate permanent appointment of a pharmacist at Teling PHC.
2. Arrangement of a pharmacist on a temporary or deputation basis until a permanent posting is made.
3. Fixing accountability of officials responsible for neglecting healthcare services in tribal areas.
4. Immediate clearance of the long-pending Mud–Baba road file, which is gathering dust in government offices.
“If the Congress government and the local MLA continue to treat this issue casually, it will be evident that for them tribal areas are merely a vote bank and not a responsibility,” Dorje Namgyal said.
He added that villagers have now appealed through video messages urging the government to immediately deploy medical staff at Teling PHC, warning that continued neglect could lead to serious consequences for public health in the remote tribal region.
