Over sixty percent of health institutions across Rajouri district lack their own buildings.
As per official records, Rajouri district houses 275 healthinstitutions. These include a district hospital, seven sub-district hospitals(community health centres), twenty one primary health centres, thirty four newtype primary health centres, an urban health centre, ten medical aids centre,two medical mobile aid centres, a tuberculosis centre, a leprosy control unit,a malaria control unit, a mobile eye unit, two Rashtriya Bal SawastiyaKaryikaram institutes and one hundred and ninety three medical centres.
However, more than forty percent of these institutions arefunctioning from rented buildings. “A total of 127 health institutions arebeing run from rented buildings. Due to the constant rent, the Healthdepartment is burdened financially,” officials, wishing anonymity, said.
Among the health institutions which are being run fromrented buildings, 25 are in Manjakote block, 30 in Darhal, 27 in Kandi, 19 inKalakote, 14 in Nowshera and 10 in Sunderbani.
Besides, there are 37 institutions across the district whichare being run from under-construction buildings.
Sources said that a number of under-construction buildingshave a stay put on them by the court, while work on a few others has been lyingsuspended due to financial constrains.
Along with this, they said, “Some buildings have alreadybeen completed, but still the institutions have not been shifted into them, asthere is an inordinate delay in formal handing over, taking over from theconstruction agency.”
On being contacted, Chief Medical Officer, Rajouri, Dr SunilSharma, confirmed that several health institutions are being run from rentedbuildings.
“The higher authorities already know about the problem.We have already informed them. The problem is being solved as work on severalbuildings is going on,” the CMO said.