STATE TIMES NEWS
POUNI: Three Primary Health Centres (PHC) enroute Shiv Khori Shrine and three PHCs in mountainous area under block Pouni in district Reasi are without a single posted doctor against 15 authorised and sanctioned posts.
A team of Live and Let Live Society of India led by its President Santokh Singh Komal visited block Pouni and interacted with the locals including the Block President Ajeet Ram Badgotra, Vice President Harjeet Singh and Rajinder Singh and came to know that lakhs of local people and more than ten thousand daily visiting pilgrims of Shiv Khori are dependent on PHC Pouni, PHC Letar, PHC Bharakh, PHC Ransoo, PHC Thakrakote and PHC Jij. Thousands of vehicles ply on these roads and frequent accidents take place frequently and the injured persons are taken to these PHCs for first aid besides other ailments. Komal said that he was surprised to know that not a single doctor was posted in these six PHCs against the authorised strength of 15 doctors.
The worst is that one Doctor Banu Priya was appointed three month back against the existing vacancy of PHC Pouni but on the same day she brought an attachment order for Govt Hospital Gandhi Nagar Jammu, he said adding that though she is on the roll of PHC Pouni, but is serving at Gandhi Nagar which is sheer injustice with the rural masses.
S.S Komal spoke to Chief Medical Officer Reasi L. D Bhagat regarding deficiency of staff and particularly about Dr Banu Priya, he said that he had recently joined the office at Reasi and was making efforts for fill up the deficient posts. Regarding Dr Banu he said that he has issued instructions to BMO Pouni to stop her pay till she joins PHC Pouni.
Uneducated and innocent masses of this far flung area do not know how to raise their voice and if they do, it is not given any cognisance. Their representatives and the bureaucrats concerned firstly do not visit these areas and if they do, they consider these people as satisfied taking advantage of their remoteness and leave them to suffer.
PHC Pouni is a very old hospital when there was no Shiv Khori Shrine Board and also no pilgrimage to this Shrine because it was not in the limelight then.
With the growing population and heavy rush of pilgrimage the up-gradation of this PHC to Community Health Centre (CHC) or Sub-District Hospital has become inevitable.
The LLLSI hailed the BMO Pouni, a few ISM doctors and the para-medical staff for coping up with the situation in six PHCs.
The LLLSI also appealed to the Health Minister and the Director of Health Services Jammu to give immediate attention to these six PHCs in block Pouni and provide them the sanctioned number of doctors with required infrastructure keeping in view the dire need of rural masses and Shiv Khori pilgrims.