Though sanctioned no beds in health centre

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 26: Silbarihat Primary Health Centre in Alipurduar of Jalpaiguri district got the required approval about one year ago to run it as a ten bedded health centre but no bed was introduced here till now. Moreover, there is only one doctor to look after this health centre.

 

It was learnt that the state health department had sanctioned ten beds to Silbarihat Primary Health Centre in August last year. This centre is suffering from shortage of personnel and medical instruments. There are a doctor, a compounder and two nurses at the health centre to keep it functional. More than fifty thousand people of four Gram Panchayat areas of Alipurduar-1 block – Patlakhawa, Kathalbari, Salkumar-1 and Salkumar-2 – are dependant on this health centre.

 

As there is no indoor department the villagers have to rush to Falakata Rural Hospital or Alipurduar Sub-divisional Hospital with their patients in acute cases. Falakata is at a distance of about 12-kilometre from here while Alipurduar is 24-kilometre. It is hard for the villagers to carry their patients at emergency in night to shift them to Falakata or Alipurduar by rickshaw-vans.

 

The situation is still unchanged though the state health department approved ten beds to this health centre in August last year. It is very hard for the lone doctor of this centre to offer medical service to the patients coming from adjacent villages. Patients can get medicines for common diseases like ordinary fever or stomach disorders from here. Locals are getting aggrieved day by day but no visible initiative was taken to introduce the proposed beds or to improve the infrastructure of health service.

 

When inquired, health department officials in Alipurduar-1 block assured that initiative was taken to add the sanctioned ten beds in the health centre to launch the indoor department very soon. The health centre may also get an additional doctor to serve the people of the locality, the sources added. []