Pulwama: Last week, Nisar-ul-Haq Alaie, a resident of Trichil village, some 6 km from south Kashmir's Pulwama town, had to shift his pregnant sister-in-law in a load carrier to District Hospital Pulwama due to non-availability of an ambulance.
Although Alaie contacted a nearby Public Health Centre, he was informed that the only ambulance available with the facility was ferrying a patient to Srinagar. Finding himself in a tight spot, Alaie decided to shift the patient, writhing in excruciating labour pain, in a load carrier.
"I was left with no other option,” he says.
He admitted that it was not safe to shift the patient in a goods carrier.
A New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) in the village procured an ambulance through a Panchayat Raj Institution (PRI) more than a year ago, but the authorities decided to station it at the District Hospital Pulwama.
"It was first moved to Primary Health Centre (PHC) Tahab and then District Hospital Pulwama,” Alaie says.
The NTPHC was established some 7 years ago in the village that has a population of over 3000 souls.
However, it is still bereft of the basic facilities, causing tremendous hardships to the patients living in the area. While the facility is operating out of a single room from a Panchayat building, the post of a medical officer has been vacant for quite some time.
"The health authorities never thought of constructing a small building," said a group of residents.
They also said that the panchayat officials were asking the medical staff to shift the facility from the building.
"In absence of a doctor, we have to shift the patients to other facilities," the residents said.
They said that they were facing a host of difficulties in moving the patients to other hospitals.
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Dr Irfana Gani said that she was not authorised to speak to the media.
However, she suggested talking to the District Information Officer (DIO) who said that he had no role in the matter.
