Minister In-charge of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. M Ampareen Lyngdoh, on Friday expressed serious concern over the broad daylight syringe attack on a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Shillong, calling it “sporadic in nature but alarming,” and stating that the government must take immediate cognisance of such incidents. “It is not just about catching the culprits but figuring out what exactly happened. What are the circumstances of that incident? Was it vendetta of some sort? Was it just a sporadic incident?” she said.
The recent incident reportedly took place near the multipurpose youth centre of Jaiaw Presbyterian Church, close to Dinam Hall, where two masked individuals allegedly injected the girl with a suspected drug before fleeing. The attack has triggered concern among parents and residents over public safety.
“This is indeed a very, very unfortunate incident. A young school student was attacked and was stabbed by a needle. I have not yet received all the information,” Dr. Lyngdoh stated. She confirmed that the National People’s Women Front (NPWF), the women’s wing of the NPP, has visited the victim at Robert Hospital. “We are collecting necessary information to ascertain the level of exposure that this young girl was actually subjected to.”
Calling for urgent, systemic intervention, Dr. Lyngdoh announced the state’s plan to soon unveil a fully dedicated centre for drug treatment in Shillong and another in Tura. “Corrective measures are far more relevant, far more important and far more pressing,” she said. Stressing the long-term nature of drug addiction recovery, she added, “It is not just about doctors, but about social workers and field health workers. Drug addiction is not something you can just pluck away and throw in the dustbin.”
Citing gaps in infrastructure, she admitted, “Even our health institutions are not yet equipped to handle the complex treatment involved for redressal. We are working on it. We are trying our best to ensure that in as short a time as possible, we should have at least an efficient rolling health facility that can address this problem.”
She revealed that an interdepartmental committee comprising Health, Social Welfare, and Education departments has been constituted to chalk out immediate steps. “We are already in touch with institutes which are today redundant in our community. If there is a CHC located in a population like Shillong that is not being utilised, we should redesignate such medical facilities and make sure they are used for drug treatment.”
Referring to the broader fight against drug abuse, the Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to DREAM – the Drug Reduction Elimination and Action Mission. “We have to look at DREAM as the greatest opportunity for intervention, redressal, and corrective measures to sort this big social issue out. This is institutionalisation of treatment of drugs which is multi-pronged in nature,” she said.
Dr. Lyngdoh also pointed to the recent establishment of an all-women rehabilitation centre as a milestone. “This was a distant dream even a few years ago when all rehab centres were predominantly male. Now we need to look at all of this seriously.” She assured, “We are cautiously observing the situation. Give us some time. We are on the job.”
