NTPHC Watchi faces staff shortage, people suffer
Shopian: The people of watchi village on Tuesday complained of staff shortage at New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) Watchi leaving the patients high and dry.
The residents said NTPHC was run by a Female Multi Purpose Health worker (FMPHW) and authorities have failed to post a doctor for the last several months.
Locals from Watchi said that the sub centre in the area was upgraded to NTPHC a few years before and a new building was sanctioned and inaugurated in January 2020.
“After hectic efforts, a doctor was deployed there but the government cancelled attachment orders and paramedical staff due to which all the staff deployed here joined their duties at their original positions which left the NTPHC without staff,” a local resident said.
The residents said since then only immunisation is being done at the hospital and no patients visit the hospital where an average footfall was 50 to 60 patients per day.
Irfan Ahmad a local resident said locals suffer due to non-availability of the doctors at the hospital who are forced to visit other hospitals.
“Whenever we visit the offices of concerned authorities they claim that no posts are sanctioned for the hospital and it hasn’t been upgraded to NTPHC yet,” they said.
They said that if the health centre was not upgraded to the level of NTPHC then why was it inaugurated by the then Deputy Commissioner Shopian in 2020.
The residents urged the higher ups to look into the matter at an earliest so that the health institute gets adequate staff.
Meanwhile Chief Medical Officer Shopian Dr Arshid Tak said that this issue has been already brought into the notice of Director Health Services Kashmir and doctors will be posted very soon.
Jahangeer Ganaie
