Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Nov 30: New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) of Ashpora village in Langate area in North Kashmir’s Handwara district craves for adequate healthcare facilities as the centre is inadequately staffed and lacks basic diagnostic facilities.
Residents told Excelsior that the NTPHC was established in the village before 50 years, but the healthcare facilities remain below par. They said the health centre was overlooked by earlier Governments as well as by the present administration. “No gynaecologist is present here and it continues to lack important diagnostic equipment like X-ray and ECG,” Abdul Rasheed, a local said.
The locals said that residents of over one dozen villages are suffering due to the unsympathetic attitude of authorities towards the centre. The residents said that the health centre lacks the entire basic infrastructure required for its smooth functioning, and just a few staff members were posted here to take care of all the requirements.
“No female nurse is available here. No medicine is available. The tests are not done in the hospital due to which we are forced to shift every patient to Handwara or Kupwara for healthcare needs which are time-consuming and costly,” Mukhtar Ahmad, a local resident said, adding that for a digital x-ray a person has to either travel to Handwara or Kupwara and that costs him around Rs 1000.
He added that the dental section of the centre is functioning without a dental chair and one can imagine how dental procedures are done. “Authorities have kept this NTPHC only on papers, as it has a building with no laboratory and other basic facilities,” Umar Rashid, another local resident said. He added: “Despite several appeals to the higher-ups, nothing has been done so far. Now we appeal concerned authorities to look into the grievances of the locals.”
The women of the area said the Centre fails to provide pregnancy care. “Not a single test is done here. They lack the testing apparatus. ECG, X-ray machines are not here. How can one rely on it? It’s a waste of money and space,” another local said.
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Langate, Gowhar Ahmad, told Excelsior that they have taken up the issues with the Government. “We have written to the Government for X-ray, dental chair and other issues and are hopeful. Keeping in view the demands of locals, we have deputed extra staff there. All the issues will be resolved soon,” he said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
