Early Times Report
Jammu, July 1: Throwing Indian Public Health Standard (IPHS) norms into bin, the state health department has left the responsibility of Primary Health Centre (PHC) Malothi of Tehsil Bhalla of district Doda entirely on Pharmacist since it was upgraded.
As per norms a PHC should have two medical officers, one for Allopathic and one for AYUSH, a dental surgeon, three Staff nurses, one Female Health Worker, one Health Educator, two health Assistant one female/Male but the health institution which was upgraded by state government couple of years back had no addition in staff or the infrastructure.
Irshad, a resident of Malothi said that every successive government claimed to provide better health care facilities to all but their statements fell flat at ground as rural health institutions lacked adequate doctors, staff, accommodation, and even medicines.
"When it was not upgraded, it operated from three rooms and had a Pharmacists and a Sweeper in the name of staff, but after four years of up gradation as PHC, nothing has changed here" said Irshad.
More than 21,000 people of Malothi and its adjoining areas are dependent on this health institution but the government never cared for providing health care facilities.
"Doctors preferred to stay in cities and urban areas but it was solely the responsibility of government to send doctors in these PHCs, so that people of these areas could also be attended to", Ashfaq Ahmed said, adding that however government has fixed a criteria that a PHC must cover a population of 20,000 souls and situated in hilly, tribal or difficult areas should have six indoor/ observation beds and 24 hour emergency services with nursing facilities but all these claims were merely hoax. |
