Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 17: The lack of basic facilities at the New Type Primary Health Centre in the Gutlibagh area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district is causing inconvenience to nearly 50,000 people who rely on it for healthcare.
Residents say that the health centre’s services are substandard, forcing them to travel long distances for medical care. They allege that the only doctor posted at the health centre rarely arrives on time, and the centre lacks essential services such as X-ray and ECG facilities.
“I came here for a check-up, but no doctor was available. I only found two staff members at the ticket counter. I came from four kilometers away, and this happens every time,” Dawood Zargar, a local resident, said.
Residents also claim they donated prime land for the hospital’s construction, hoping it would improve healthcare access, but the administration has failed to provide the necessary facilities.
“For the last ten years, nothing has changed. Doctors arrive around 11 a.m. and leave by 3 p.m. We demand at least one doctor who can attend to patients regularly,” Parvez Ahmad Khan, another resident, said.
Gubar Khan, a local resident, shared an incident from last year when 12 children were bitten by a dog, and the centre lacked the required vaccines, forcing their transfer to the district hospital. “With around 50,000 people here, we have no proper facilities. There is no X-ray service, no ambulance, and even basic vaccines are unavailable,” he said.
Residents say they have repeatedly approached the authorities to address their concerns but without success. “We demand that the authorities provide these basic healthcare services, which are our right,” they said.
Chief Medical Officer Ganderbal Bashir Ahmad Khan told Excelsior that he would look into the matter.
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