Tengnoupal: The indefinite crisis over healthcare in Manipur’s border town Moreh saw a temporary truce on Monday as civil society organisations decided to suspend their 48-hour highway shutdown for a week. The bandh on the Imphal-Moreh lifeline – NH-102 – was called to protest the non-availability of doctors and the alleged collapse of government health services in the international trade town.
The call was jointly given by Kuki Chiefs Association (Moreh Block), Hill Tribal Council Moreh, Tamil Sangam, Gorkha Samaj Sewa Samiti and Manipuri Muslim Council. These five bodies, which represent the multi-ethnic population of Moreh, said they had been compelled to call the bandh because repeated memorandums to the Health Department and district administration failed to yield results on the ground.
At the heart of the agitation is the Governor’s order dated July 22, 2026. As per the order, a list of doctors was finalised and directed to be stationed at Moreh to strengthen SDH Moreh, Moreh Hospital and the surrounding Primary Health Centres. The CSOs allege that most of the shortlisted doctors have not joined duty till date, some citing security reasons, while some have allegedly managed to stay back in Imphal through influence. Due to this, the Sub-Divisional Hospital is functioning with a skeletal staff.
In a joint press release issued on August 25, the CSOs said they received information from reliable sources that the state government has finally started processing their demands and that steps are being taken to ensure doctors report at Moreh within days. Keeping this in view and to avoid prolonged suffering for truck drivers, patients, students and businessmen who depend on NH-102, they have decided to relax the bandh with immediate effect from August 26 and keep it suspended for seven days.
The organisations, however, listed serious lapses in the present health system. According to them, SDH Moreh does not have regular specialist services, emergency casualty at night is almost absent, lab and X-ray units are irregular, and patients often have to buy medicines from private pharmacies despite government supply. PHCs at nearby villages are also in similar condition. Another major complaint is against government doctors allegedly operating private clinics in Moreh and Imphal during official duty hours, neglecting their official posting.
The CSOs have demanded that the government not only ensure physical presence of doctors as per the July 22 order but also initiate disciplinary action against those who are running private practice while in government service and those who defy posting orders. They have appealed to the Chief Minister, Health Minister and Deputy Commissioner, Tengnoupal to conduct a ground inspection of SDH Moreh and PHCs and to take corrective measures on a priority basis so that people living along the India-Myanmar border get basic healthcare without having to travel 110 km to Imphal.
Warning that this is their last peaceful gesture, the CSOs said if the government fails to post the doctors and make the hospitals functional within the one-week window, they will resume and intensify their democratic agitation with different forms of protest. They said any disturbance or hardship arising thereafter will be the sole responsibility of the government. The highway from Pallel to Moreh, which was blocked since the bandh call, is now expected to see normal movement of passenger and goods vehicles till September 2.
