Baramulla: The residents of the old town Baramulla have urged authorities to upgrade the Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) so that health services are provided round the clock to the people of the area.
The locals here said that the health center is catering to over 35000 people in the area. However, the health centre does not operate round the clock with the result that patients are unable to visit the center after 4 pm.
“The health center operates from 10 to 4 pm as it is UPHC,” said Muhammad Ramzan, a resident of old town Baramulla. “Considering the huge population of the area, the health centre needs to be upgraded immediately so that patients do not suffer after dusk,” added Ramzan.
Muhammad Aslam, another resident of Mohalla Mir Sahib said that a few days back his ailing grandmother was in need of an immediate health examination.
However, the health center was closed at 6 PM and they faced enormous difficulty to shift her to Government Medical College Baramulla as they don’t own a vehicle.
Situated at Baghi-Islam Baramulla, the UPHC old town Baramulla is a 10 bedded health center with most of the health investigation being done from 10 to 4 pm. The X-ray plant at the hospital is non-functional as authorities have not deployed any of the X-ray technicians with the hospital.
The only ambulance allotted to the health center is eating dust in the courtyard of the hospital as the GMC Baramulla under which the health center operates has not allotted a driver for the ambulance yet. Meanwhile, Principal of Government Medical College Baramulla, Dr. Rubi Reshi, said that they don’t have enough staff to run the UPHC round the clock, however, they will try for the upgradation of the health centre so that it will run 24 hours.
“Once the health centre is upgraded the health centre will have adequate staff which will ensure that the health centre operates round the clock,” said Principal GMC Baramulla.