Pasighat: Veteran pharmacist and social worker Ume Perme, who served remote and underserved communities in Arunachal Pradesh for two decades, died at his native New Borguli village in East Siang district at around 4 am on Thursday following a prolonged illness. He was 77.
Perme joined government service as a pharmacist on January 12, 1972, when Arunachal Pradesh was still known as the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA). He retired on February 1, 1992, after serving in several remote areas, including the Indo-China border region.
Born on December 30, 1948, to Gumin Perme and Yamoni Perme, he was originally named Umeshwar Perme. He grew up in Borguli village and studied at the present-day Government Higher Secondary School in Mebo and IGJ Government Higher Secondary School in Pasighat.
His first posting was at Siyum Circle in Upper Subansiri district in 1972. During his four-year tenure there, he provided medical services to communities living in difficult geographical conditions and extended healthcare assistance to Indian Army personnel deployed along the international border, including those suffering from altitude-related complications and other ailments.
After Siyum, Perme served at Koyu and Sille before being posted to the health centre in his native Borguli village, where he worked until retirement.
He played a key role in responding to disease outbreaks in the Lower Mebo region, where healthcare facilities and trained personnel were limited. In 1985, he helped treat patients during an outbreak of blood dysentery. The Borguli Health Centre, now a primary health centre, was then the only healthcare facility serving the entire Lower Mebo region.
During a malaria epidemic in 1987, Perme worked to provide treatment and medical assistance to affected residents across the Monggu-Banggo villages of Lower Mebo. In the absence of a regularly posted doctor, he oversaw the health centre and coordinated medical services.
Beyond his government service, Perme assisted residents of the leprosy colony in Pasighat and participated in community development activities at Rengging village during the early construction of the Pasighat-Pangin road, while he was still a student.
Perme’s service spanned a period when transportation, communication and medical infrastructure were limited across many parts of Arunachal Pradesh, particularly in remote villages.
His wife, Abul Tayeng Perme, predeceased him. He is survived by five sons, three daughters and several grandchildren.
Mebo MLA Oken Tayeng expressed grief over Perme’s death and acknowledged his contributions to healthcare and social welfare, particularly among rural communities in Lower Mebo. He also conveyed condolences to the bereaved family.
Perme’s death marks the passing of a healthcare worker whose career included decades of service in some of Arunachal Pradesh’s most remote areas.