Kachhan (Ganderbal) Sep 2: The dearth of doctors and paramedical staff in Primary Health Centre (PHC) Kachhan in Ganderbal is adversely affecting the patient care.
“Due to the shortage of medicos in PHC, the patients have to travel miles to seek consultation from other doctors at the Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Ganderbal,” the locals told Greater Kashmir adding that the patients face lot of inconvenience and hardships during commuting. The inhabitants of the area said the patients are visiting private clinics of doctors in order to seek consultation for ailments. “Due to non-availability of medicos in PHC, the poor patients have to shelve money to seek consultation at privately run clinics,” the locals rued.
According to the residents, some of the agitated people in the area even locked up the PHC recently to register their protest against the non-availability of doctors in the hospital.
“The PHC is not having sufficient medical or paramedical staff. Adoctor who was posted in the PHC was transferred few days ago due to the, which the problems of the patients compounded,” a group of local residents told Greater Kashmir.
“The government’s assurance of improving the healthcare facilities in the rural areas falls flat on the ground here as the patients are suffering immensely for want of the doctors,” the locals said, adding that “If this is the condition of CM’s constituency with reference to the providing of healthcare facilities what would be condition of other villages across the Kashmir division?”
“We are demanding that the doctor who has been transferred from should be posted again at the PHC” they further said.
According to the locals, the PHC also lacks paramedical staff. “There is no X-ray technician and only few clinical investigations are carried our here” the locals said adding that for conducting some of the tests, the patients have to shelve huge amount at the privately run diagnostic centres.
When contacted, CMO Ganderbal, Mehmooda Kar told Greater Kashmir that the residents did not locked up the PHC. However, she acknowledged that they where protesting against non-availability of doctor. “Actually an NRHM doctor who was temporarily posted in PHC Kachhan was recently transferred to Gund Kangan PHC which was his actual posting place. I have raised the matter with my seniors and the issue will be resolved soon,” she added.

Reports Compiled by SHEIKH NAZIR

Lastupdate on : Sun, 2 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
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