Newa, Pulwama, Jan 22: A committee set up by villagers here is setting precedence in community mobilization to solve local problems and protesting administrative malfunctioning thereby forcing the officials to redress their grievances.
 The Society for Justice and Welfare consists of residents with clean image and formed to work for issues concerning the area.
 Among the number of issues raised as well as solved, one such step initiated by the committee was to close the Primary Health Centre on Thursday and stage a sit in outside to protest the apathy of health department.
 Angry over the lack of facilities in the Primary Health Centre here, the residents of the Newa observed a complete shutdown on the consecutive day today and held protests to press for their demands.
 All the shops and business establishments remained closed and people organized a sit-in and held protests outside the PHC. The angry residents, led by a Mohalla Committee yesterday locked up the PHC after finding the staff ‘absent’ and staged a hunger strike outside the Centre, demanding strict action against the staff. “Hundreds of patients were waiting for the doctors and other staff, but they didn’t turn up,” the residents told Greater Kashmir.
 They said the equipments like x-ray machine and Electro Cardio Gram were lying ‘defunct’ for quite sometime and despite bringing it to the notice of the administration, they were not being repaired. The Ultra-sonography (USG) machine, they said had been allotted to the Centre, but was not available yet. “The patients have to visit privately run diagnostic centres for conducting the requisite tests and spend huge amount of money,” the residents added.
 “The doctors in the centre hardly remain present and instead remain busy with their private practice causing tremendous inconvenience to the patients,” the villagers complained adding that one of the doctor posted in PHC was attached to another PHC in an adjoining village.
 They said there was a proposal of converting the PHC into Community Health Centre and demanded recruitment of more doctors and paramedics.
 “The centre is devoid of any gynecologist and a senior nurse. Though there is a lady doctor, but she too is not available regularly forcing us to take the female patients all the way to Pulwama district hospital even during late night hours,” they said.
 The villagers alleged that the Rs 31 lakh granted to the PHC for construction of the new building was diverted some where else. 
 However, the villagers decided to call off the strike after assurance from the health authorities including its deputy director. “We have decided to call off the strike as the deputy director has assured of solving our problems within two days,” said Mukhtar Ahmad, a villager adding that if the authorities don’t live up to their promise they will again go for strike.
 When contacted the Deputy Commissioner, Muhammad Afzal said that he had apprised the Director Health about the problems confronting the patients who in turn deputed the deputy director to redress the grievances. Muhammad Afzal said the deputy director visited the area today and assured the people of solving their genuine problems. About the doctor working in another PHC, the DC said he would be shifted to his original posting.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:00:00 IST