Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 30: Patients are facing immense hardships as the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Srigufwara Adlash village in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district is facing dearth of doctors and paramedical staff despite having all the equipments necessary to run health centre.
Officials said the Health Centre is working with only 25 percent of sanctioned staff and about 75 percent of the posts are lying vacant. They said out of two medical officers and a dental surgeon allotted to the PHC no one is available.
“There is only one Ayush doctor present. The MBBS doctors have been attached to Pahalgam. The PHC has all the necessary equipments like X-ray and ECG machine but no one is available to operate these machines,” they said.
The employees of the PHC said they are here to guard the building and equipments. “There is no MBBS doctor here. Who will treat the patients?” they asked. “We have sent the Ambulance to the Pahalgam as there is no fencing around the health centre and we apprehend its damage,” they said.
Locals while complaining of non-availability of necessary staff alleged that government is overlooking their area. “We have cut nearly three hundred walnut trees and have given almost 5-8 Kanals of land for the construction of this health centre. But unfortunately the Government is not taking our area seriously,” said Nisar Ahamd, a local.
“We have to travel some 17 kilometres even for minor ailments as there is no doctor in the Health Centre. They have shifted everyone to Pahalgam as if we don’t exist here. These doctors are mostly from Pahalgam and they don’t want to travel to a far flung area like ours,” he lamented.
Chief Medical Officer Anantnag, Dr Fasil Ali, admitted the dearth of staff at the health centre. “We have to take care of entire Block and presently we are having deficiency of nine doctors at the Block level. Unfortunately we have to prioritise some places over other,” he said.
When asked about the non-availability MBBS Doctors, the CMO said: “We have attached the Doctor to the Pahalgam Centre on priority basis as it was required there. Our dental chair has not come yet and once it will come we will send the dental surgeon to PHE. Within one month we are sending them the doctors and the Technicians which are required, the CMO assured.
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