Imagine are we treated as Humans of State Jammu and Kashmir .
SHAFQAT SHAHEEN SHEIKH
Despite tall claims of Health Ministry and legislators to provide better medicare facilities at the door steps of every nook and corner of the State through numerous State and Centrally Sponsored Schemes, due to the lack of doctors and even para-medical staff in the rural Health care centers of Kishtwar district, people have no other option but to travel 200 km to Jammu even for the treatment of common ailments.
PHC Nali in Bunjwah region of Kishtwar district is the worse example of the pathetic attitude of the Govt towards medicare facilities in Bunjwah region where other Health Sub Centers in farflung areas including Kither, Buddhar, Suranga , Patnazi, Kewa, Pashalla and Balgran are opened only once in a week or twice in a month .
Now a day patients are treated in open sky which is enough to tell the pathetic attitude of the concerned authorities sitting at the helm of affairs that shows the real image of PHC Nali which faces shortage of space, staff, lack of residential quarters, para medical staff and other necessary equipments etc.
The J and K government is running Public Health Centers (PHCs) and Sub Centers in some parts of the Kishtwar district in violation of staff requirement norms and operates these from rented accommodations with damaged and old infrastructure since long.
Started many years ago , PHC Nali in Bonjwah Tehsil of District Kishtwar has not progressed till day. As a result, the PHC still operates within the same infrastructure as it had before being opened in some rooms . Despite having the knowledge of poor condition of hospitals across the state, Former Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Health Department vowed development in Health Department, narrates their working style in public meetings and before State/ Union leaders but reality differs to his fictions.
Acute space shortage has badly hit services at Primary Health Center Nali Bunjwah where health employees and doctors are finding it difficult to cater the increasing patient rush.
The PHC Nali with a capacity of few patients , admits patients from across Bonjwah Tehsil but is deficient in space, besides nursing and other paramedical staff. The hospital beds are regularly occupied by two to three patients as I visited several times there.
Source informed that in Health sector Bunjwah there are own rules established by doctors as they are performing duties turn by turn from week to week among which few are performing their honestly and dedication. Beside shortage of doctors in Sub Centers in Buddhar , Suranga , Kither , Kewa , Pashalla and Balgran had hits the life of comman masses badly as these centers are opened only once in a week or twice in a month .
Source added that PHC Nali is only having five rooms in which there is One Medical Officer office, One labour room, Lab section, One dental section and One emergency room” . Added that patients are facing difficulties of hospital beds and medicines as they get quota of medicines on new pattern of PHC .
A patient said, “This is the same PHC that I had seen when I was a child, today I bring my own child to PHC ,Nali for treatment but it is unfortunate that for the last so many years neither this PHC has been upgraded nor the condition improved.
It is important to mention here that Bonjwah is having population of more than 35,000 and there is only one PHC.
“With the current strength of staff, and accommodation of PHC it is impossible to run the same during late night hours,” said an official.
It is pertinent to mention that ” Due to shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in far-flung region of Bunjwah, PHCs, sub centers and dispensaries, people have to travel long distances to either visit district hospital or hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar. While Jammu is about 250 Km from here, Srinagar is more than 300 Km.
Healthcare in the remote Bunjwah area, having a population of about 35,000 people, is worst affected. The area is not getting any government attention. “Some health center still operates from rented accommodations with poor infrastructure,” eyewitnesses the sence.
In Bunjwah, only one PHC is running at Nali for many years. The government had now opened Sub Centers , Dispensaries in darling area of Bunjwah among with a new type PHC at Patnazi . As these Sub Centers and dispensary were still not up to the mark as they faces shortage of staffs results that whole population of Bunjwah became dependent on PHC Nali, which too was devoid of modern facilities, sources alleged, saying that due to shortage of staff, doctors were finding it difficult to cater to the increasing rush of patients.
A senior doctor of PHC Nali, said ”We are having few rooms and we face it very tough in catering huge rush of patients . Patients are also facing difficulties as PHC lacks hospital beds. It also does not have a separate OPD block.” Noor Din, a patient, said, “This is the same PHC that I have seen when I was a child and today, I bring my child here for treatment.”
He said it was unfortunate that for the last so many years, neither PHC was upgraded to CHC nor the conditions had improved. Sources informed that some years ago land was acquired for construction of sepreate blocks but till date nothing was visible on ground.
Bunjwah residents various times before representatives demanded upgradiation of the PHC to CHC , full strength of staff, sepreate blocks , X-Ray, ECG, Blood bank and other health facilities.
There is much abysmal deficiency for most of the basic requirements of life in our rural areas. We need to make very frank and fair analysis of which way our democracy is drifting. Certainly everything is not right with it and unless we call a spade by its name we shall not be able to bring about reforms and improve the lot of ordinary bread earner.
Seventy years have gone by when India became free from the colonial rule. But developmental activity needed to take entire mass of population into consideration. How could we see the dawn of prosperity unless we had begun our long march towards the destination of progress from the villages and hamlets where India actually lives. Of various services, education and health care are perhaps the two most important areas and these had to be prioritized at any rate if we really wanted India to enter a new era of her social and political life. Our policy planners are fully aware that the State of Jammu and Kashmir is mostly a hilly and kandi state with very weak economy.
This area is not attractive so that teachers and medical professionals would be willing to be posted there. Hence they try to avoid to be posted to far flung areas of district Doda and Kishtwar particularly in Tehsil Bunjwah and other regions of district. The condition of hospitals, dispensaries, medical care units in Bunjwah area is dismal. Health care area in this mountainous region is so dismal that even the elected representatives of these areas have been expressing their helplessness in persuading authorities to provide the hospitals with minimum facilities and medical staff.
Patients have to be carried all the way to Udhampur or Jammu for radiology and ultrasound or for a common ailments.
Complaints are regularly made by the people, Social Activists and NGOs but the concerned representative and Government has closed its ears and does not listen.
Some time back few Sub Centers were opened in Kither , Buddhar , Suranga , Patnazi , Kewa , Balgran, Pashalla to cater the rush of patients and provide best Medicare facility at doorstep. In case of natural calamities and minor ailments in these far flung areas the affected patients need quick first aid treatment if the lives have to be saved.
However, what is the utility of having a such Health Centers in Buddhar , Suranga , Kither , Balgran , Pashalla and Kewa when there are no doctors to attend the patients. This is the unspeakable condition of the rural health centers , hospitals and the treatment that the Health Department authorities are meting out to them.
Back to the tenure of Former Chief Minister and Union Health Minister of India Ghulam Nabi Azad addressing a mass gathering at Binoon announced 20 bedded hospital at Nali and same at Patnazi and improvement of other Health centers of Bunjwah region on top priority.
More than a decade passed away after his announcement nothing came to be seen in real figure as it was only hallow slogans and vote bank policy of Congress.
It came to be seen that in Nali doctors residental quarter building plinth foundation was laid two decades ago but till day no building work was taken out that results the complete failure of legislatior and representatives of Bunjwah
Being a citizen of Republic India , I Shafqat Shaheen Sheikh would like to ask all those whose organise mass rallies during elections and made big big promises before public , Was same only to befool public or anything else . The answer will be granted through publically before public .
Opinining the fact that How many more years will it take to become true functional is anybody’s guess. The people will continue to suffer without seeing a ray of hope anywhere.
The rural people of Bunjwah region in the State are destined to live poor and deprived life beside Government should take steps on war-footing to improve the plights of people living in far-flung area of Tehsil Bunjwah .
It is time that state is headed by Governor rule and putting faith and last hope hope upon Governor of Jammu and Kashmir state Shri N N Vohra to personally intervence in this matter so as Health care facilities in Bunjwah region of Kishtwar district can be improved otherwise we be back like early man age in this modern era of science and technology.
