Bandipora, Sep 22: The residents of Kathpora Beharabad in Hajin area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district have complained of inadequate healthcare and lack of basic facilities at the Sub Centre in the village.
The residents told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that there is inadequate staff at the health centre due to which patient care is badly hit. “The poor healthcare facilities here force us to visit the health facilities of other areas which costs us time as well as money,” they said, adding that the situation gets worse if the patient is severely ill and has to be shifted to any other health centre or hospital.
Despite having a doctor, the sluggish approach of the staff in attending to their duties speaks volumes about the health centre’’ operational effectiveness in this remote area, said Faisal Khan, a local resident.
“We constantly feel that we are being treated unfairly. The lack of punctuality by the doctor is a significant concern for us, especially among the elderly patients, who heavily rely on limited medical facilities available here,” he said.
Sameer Ahmad, another local, said the health centre has been without basic facilities for years and the concerned authorities are not paying any heed towards upgrading it.
“Recently, my mother had a high fever, and in our moment of urgency, we hurried to the sub-centre only to discover it was locked,” Sameer said.
Similarly, Asif Khan, another resident, said the health centre should either be closed or proper staff be appointed. “We have previously lodged complaints with the concerned BMO, but unfortunately, no action has been taken so far,” he said.
The locals have requested the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Dr Owais Ahmad to personally look into the matter and redress their grievance.
However, an official of the health department assured that the issue will be redressed very soon—(KNO)
