Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Feb 16: More than a year after the projects were started in Pulwama district’s “vision plan,” there has been no progress on upgrading five New Type Primary Health Centres (NTPHCs).
The up-gradation of five NTPHCs, including Ratnipora, Parigam, Rathsuna, Aripal and Puchal was mentioned in the Pulwama district’s Vision Document 2020-2022, which was prepared by the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board.
The facilities would be improved at a cost of roughly Rs 933 lakhs, according to the document, and were expected to benefit thousands of people. These facilities would have also reduced the patient load from two main hospitals in the district, namely district hospital Pulwama and sub-district hospital Tral.
While stressing the importance of these projects, health officials identified the health centres as “essential to the district’s primary healthcare” since they are placed in strategic locations throughout the district and serve tens of thousands of people. “These health centres have been sanctioned in such a way that they may serve the largest number of people living in the district’s neighbouring villages and meet the district’s primary health care needs,” a health official stated.
Locals in the district’s Ratnipora neighbourhood said that construction on a new facility for the area’s health centre has been dragging on for years. “The building is needed at the moment as the health infrastructure in the area is subpar,” Bashir Ahmad, a local said.
He continued that the health centre was upgraded from a sub-centre to a new type of primary health centre a few years ago, but that it continues to operate out of the same building. “There is a staff shortage in the health centre, and at times there is not a single doctor available in the centre,” he said, adding that several villages rely on it, so the staffing and infrastructure need to be improved.
Dr Haseena, the Chief Medical Officer of Pulwama, said she was unaware of the initiative and would investigate into it. “I will acquire the project details and look into it,” she said.
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