Hari Deen of Bahadurpur Jatt village who was down with persistent cough had to run from pillar to post as the pathologists at the community health centre was on leave for long time. Four to five samples are tested per day only while nearly 25 patients who need diagnostic checking throng the centre daily. This is because of the acute shortage of doctors plaguing the whole of Haridwar district.
The residents of the biggest block of Haridwar, Bahadrabad are living sans medical facilities. The scarcity of doctors coupled with the crumbling health facilities are landing those who come to the Government-run hospitals to avail the medical facilities in a soup. Civil hospital of Roorkee is also reeling under the scarcity of doctors with four of them on leave till next year.
The number of testing machines in the pathological laboratory of CHC is not adequate. The population of Bahadrabad block is 3.5 lakh. To get simple medical treatment, one is required to trudge nearly 10 km to reach the district hospital or a private health care centre.
Despite posting of 10 doctors being approved, the posts of physician, surgeon, orthopaedic, gynaecologist, paediatrician and radiologist are vacant. Since district hospital of Haridwar and Roorkee civil hospital are almost at the same distance from Bahadrabad block the people prefer to avail treatment at Roorkee civil hospital. However, the general physician besides the bone and eye specialists being on leave till the first week of January next are landing them in the soup. Adding to the mess, the patients are not informed of the doctors going on leave. A patient outside civil hospital of Rookee rued that she spent her whole day waiting for the doctor but in vain. “I am a daily wages earner working in a textile factory.
If I fail to turn up another labourer fills my place. I came to see the orthopaedic to show him the progress after I took medicines for the hairline fracture in my leg for 15 days. I am now returning disappointed,” said Kaushal Mata.
Dr Nisha Gupta, the lone gynaecologist in the civil hospital, is on leave till January 1 while the eye surgeon of the same is on leave till 10 January. The same is the case with the orthopaedic Dr Afzal. The community health centre based in Bahadrabad is on the other hand running sans a permanent doctor since the date of its inception. Only contract doctors are deputed whose renewal of contract takes hell of time.
The pathological laboratory in the health centre and civil hospital are in a shambles too. The facility for testing HIV, Malaria, urine and sputum is available but on account of the scanty number of pathologists, only four to five samples are being tested in a day while the number of samples is piling up. Even the simple tests like blood group and haemoglobin are not being carried out in the centre.
The lab technician of the health centre Hemant Bora says, “With the available instruments and equipments, things are running somehow. But the load is turning heavier with each passing day.
We have written to the higher authorities asking for testing equipments but no action has been taken so far.”
The superintendent in-charge of the community health centre, H K Singh echoed the same, saying that there is an acute paucity of medical staffers. “We have sent written to the higher authorities for appointing permanent doctors. Till things are solved, the people would have to face some problems like delays in testing. We are helpless,” he added.