Down Memory lane

Late Miss Evelyn Prem Dass,

Ex-Matron, General, Hospital Pasighat

31/8/2000

It has really given me, the greatest surprise of my life, regarding the factitude statement, which I was never aware of during my short span of services, as a Matron of General Hospital Pasighat, that the inception of so called Research Institute, had taken place. In the year 1914, very much earlier than the inception of our own independent government of India, which was established in the year 1947. This fact clearly spells that the Institution remained a Research Center practically all along, minus either a senior of junior nurses training or any other professional procedure which are usually performed in a medical institution. It is also a very sad affair that even after our own independence, our government waited till 1960 in order to actually start a Junior (Auxiliary) Nurses training in 1961 when I joined my humble services as a Nursing Tutor and administrator on 31^st March 1961. Even then there were no students, with the exception of some girls, who were actually performing their duty in the capacity of Nurse Dais. As far as my memory recalls their respective names, they are as follows:

[1] Mrs L Kalita, [2] Mrs N Choudhury [3] Mrs Biswas [4] Mrs Bina Ghosh [5] Mrs Chakraborty [6] Miss Sachari [7] Mrs Kunjamma Pillai [8] Miss Oye Tangu [9] Miss Ossar Gao [10] Miss Ambair [11] Mrs Omik Koyu.

There were also 2 trained nurses, [1] Mrs Ropmo and [2] Mrs Challiah, who were supposed to supervise their work plus hospital management and care of the patients.

Though the General Hospital was a 50-bedded hospital, yet there were hardly any patients. As a rule a hospital with scanty trained staff also without proper equipments minus facilities of any kind can hardly be expected to be recognized for any kind of training yet with all that that I really do appreciated and heartily congratulate Dr P D Gogoi, our then Director of Health Services [DHS], residing in Shillong; Dr C Raman, Assistant Director of Health Services [ADHS] and other doctors of General Hospital Pasighat prove to be very encouraging, enthusiastic and helpful in starting the said training here in Pasighat. They all approached our respected Chief Nursing Superintendent of India, Miss Ida Adranwala, residing in Delhi. She happened to know me very well; therefore, in return, she very gratuitously approved our proposal of sanctioning a course in Junior Nurses training, inspite of the fact that we lacked proper conditions for want of recognition in the year 1961-62. We smoothly started the said training, but for the unfortunate incident of Chinese aggression in the same year in November, 1962 when every plan became topsy turvey, and we forcibly had to leave Pasighat for Dibrugarh town in Assam for our safety. As a matter of fact, we had to start every thing all over again. Later on when we finally settled down, I managed to acquire 2 complete sets of UNICEF articles and equipments; one set for nurses training and the other for General Hospital. We were also very kindly provided with an ambulance par kindness of our Chief Nursing Superintendent in Delhi, who convinced the UNICEF department that we were in dire need of these articles. Of course I am now not able to recall the exact date, but we did appreciate the kind help, which enhanced the proper working of the hospital. I am proud to state that UNICEF ambulance was very helpful as we actually utilized it to help nurse the patients in their respective homes who could not come to the hospital. We performed deliveries right there, which gave the students an opportunity to learn how to care for the patients without proper facilities available in the villages. We also procured the much-needed equipments, instruments and other necessities in order to start our Operation Theatre. There was a general practice that when a patient needed an operation, a helicopter was sent for and the patient was shifted to Assam Medical College & Hospital in Dibrugarh, which was very costly, inconvenient both for the patient and the administration. Therefore it was a must to start operations here in Pasighat.

There was no trained OT sister or a nurse who could be trained for the job; therefore the responsibility fell on me. It is also a known fact that if a hospital has no provision for proper training for such activities, such as performing operations or normal deliveries, it cannot be called a proper training center for students. There was another drawback that no electricity was supplied during the day. It was only supplied from 6pm onwards. We also lacked proper water supply. But these bottleneck problems could not discourage us, and as a result, we had to perform operations during the night. I really admire Dr D Lyngdoh, Surgeon, who was very willing and took the responsibility; to start the operations we took permission from our ADHS, and me as a OT sister, along with the help of Sri Roop Chand Sharma, medical attendant who was responsible for general cleanliness for proper sterilization of instruments, linens and other equipments under my direct supervision. We started performing operations, both minor and major. Since there was no anesthesiologist, we managed some how or the other with the help of other doctors who were interested in that. Believe me, I had to work almost 22 hours a day. During the day, I was engaged with routine work, teaching the students with practical, keeping up records, general cleanliness & strict discipline, both of the staff, patients and their relatives. Hunger or diet or what so ever never came across my mind. Not only that, after the Chinese aggression, which took place during the rule of our beloved 1^st Prime Minister, Sri Jawaharlal Nehru, with the exception of him, number of other dignitaries like Smti Indira Gandhi and other ministers who were anxious to see the after affect of Chinese aggression here in Arunachal Pradesh, had to be attended to with proper cleanliness etc whenever they came to visit the hospital. Finally we did settle down and started proper functioning of the hospital. Later on a ward sister, Mrs l Burwa and 2-3 trained staff nurses were appointed who helped me in day-to-day work. But still there were no tutor or OT sister and hence I had to carry on the same duties. Simultaneously till September 1967, when I unfortunately fell short of then-ADHS, Dr Pal Choudhury’s favour for no obvious reason in sight, Mrs Chako was appointed as a Matron in General Hospital Pasighat. She was only a staff nurse. I was transferred to TB Hospital, Margherita in Assam. I even now regret to mention that I had every intention to leave the job in Arunachal Pradesh as I felt that my sincere services were misused, disregarded and under-minded by the then authorities who put me both in a degraded state as well as caused monetary losses by shifting me out of Arunachal Pradesh. I was definite that I could get a handsome job anywhere in India; but for the fact that Arunachal Pradesh, being backward, needed my services and that they might not get a trained nurse for longtime, I stayed on for complete 5 years from Septmber 1967 till February 1972, until Dr Pal Choudhury, stayed in Pasighat as ADHS. After coming back to Pasighat again, I had to start all over again till December 1978. Although I had to be retired in 1976, but the government very graciously and gratuitously accorded 2 years extension of my services on recommendation of Dr Mazumdar, ADHS, Pasighat and DHS, Itanagar.

I really had the golden opportunity to work under a number of ADHS at Pasighat. I regret to recall their initials as well as names in chronological order of their tenure: [1] Dr C Raman [2] Dr Kolhan Choudhury [3] Dr P D Phukan [4] Dr Hazarika [5] Dr B N Gogoi [6] Dr D Bhattacharjee [7] Dr Mazumdar [7] Dr Dr Borgohain [8] Dr Bhattacharjee, an old man [9] Dr P N Mathur , an Eye Specialist [10] Dr Karmakar. There were other doctors who worked with me, such as Dr P K Roy, Dr Dr S K Saha, Eye Specialist, Dr Chakraborty, Dr (Mrs) Chakraborty as Gynecologist, Dr Bathow, Dr Neog, Dr D Sirkar, Dr B C Sarma and Dr Panjair, Surgeons. They all were very kind and helpful in keeping up proper and timely supply of drugs and other essential items needed in the hospital. They also helped in keeping up cordial relationship between staff and general public at large. I still regret the loss of all records and the hospital building, which was destroyed in an accidental fire some years after my retirement. But I am happy to see that a much larger and more expanded institution has come up which can accommodate more patients and give comprehensive treatment to the public.

In the end I must really count myself to be very lucky that me, being a lowly and humble creature of humanity, could belong to an institution, which was established much earlier than my birth in 1918. Most probably, I was destined to be some use to upgrade the status of the hospital and I still pray that may God help the entire staff to carry on an honourable job by serving the masses who are oppressed, sick, both physically and mentally, and miserable humanity and be blessed in return of their services.

I here do admit that I may have misused or misquoted some events due to my lapse of memory after almost 22 years of my retirement. Therefore I do beg pardon for the mistakes and will have absolutely no objection if any statement is changed, corrected or even erased from this letter. Though every statement is true of which I can swear honestly with no exaggeration and oblige.

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Miss Prem Dass was a legendary lady managing this institution with discipline and dedication for almost 2 decades during 60’s and 70’s .She is still remembered by the old and young for her energetic work and spirited mind. She breathed last in 2003. A grateful community of medical fraternity pays their tributes and prays to the God to keep her soul in peace in the heavenly abode.