Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 4: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by residents of Chingus seeking intervention of Court against shifting of Allopathic/ISM Centre from Chingus to Khurk, Kalakote or any other place, Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Hasnain Massodi today directed the State to adopt some rational approach in shifting dispensaries.
In the PIL, it has been submitted that due to shifting of dispensary the people of the area would face grave problem and rendered without any medical aid.
After hearing Advocate R P Sharma appearing for the PIL and keeping in view that status-quo order passed on June 14, 2002 continuous even today, Division Bench observed, “writ petition deserves to be disposed of with directions that State Government, before passing any order of shifting of Allopathic/ISM dispensary in the whole State must adopt some rational approach”, adding “the assessment shall be made on the basis of the total population of the area, accessibility of general public to the medical facilities and total number of persons visiting the dispensary”.
“An exercise also needs to be initiated to find out total number of Public Health Centers and Hospitals at the district level. If such hospitals are able to meet the demands of medical treatment of the residents of the area by reducing the traveling distance to minimum then alone such like dispensary be shifted”, the DB said and stayed the shifting of dispensary.