Health sub-centre in Shair e Kashmir’s native village unattended for 15 years
Catering to 5000 population, centre running from a single room
Pulwama: Catering to five villages accounting for over five thousand population, a health sub-centre in Mitrigam, the native village of Kashmir’s celebrated poet, Mehjoor in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district has been running from a single room with the centre lacking all basic facilities.
Made operational on papers 15 years ago, the sub-centre is currently running from a single room of a residential house as authorities have failed to construct a building to house the health centre.
An official questioned how the different sections of the centre including ward, store and dressing room could work from a single room.
He said that the owners of the residential house were equally suffering as the government was paying them a meager monthly rent of Rs 250, “that too after years while they are using their every facility including the washrooms,” he added.
Locals said that their pleas to the authorities to construct a building had gone unheard.
Despite the land being available for the construction of a new building for the hospital, the government has not been able to proceed, they said.
“The centre also lacked staff, medicines and other basic facilities,” Younis Ahmad, a local said.
He said that due to lack of facilities, patients prefer to visit district hospital which is about 6 kms from the village.
Apart from two FMPHWs and a nursing orderly, the centre is short of pharmacist and sweeper, another local complained.
“The centre caters to five villages of Mitrigam, Putrigam, Duri, Hadipora and Frestipora, but authorities have failed to take the issue seriously,” he said.
Block Medical Officer Rajpora Dr Javaid Ahmad asked the locals to identify land for the construction of building.
“Once the locals donate land, we will write to higher authorities for construction of new building for the centre,” he added.
Jahangeer Ganaie
