| Ground realities explode myth of health infrastructure in Jammu | | Out of 255 SHC, 150 running from rented accommodation, sans staff | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 16: Despite winning accolades on national platform for health care facilities in Jammu and Kashmir, the ground realities have exposed the government claims as more than 59 percent Sub Health Centers (SHCs) are running from rented accommodations since last around ten years. Moreover, they are also facing acute dearth of staff, increasing grievances of masses.
According to the data furnished by National Rural Health Mission Jammu wing, it has come to fore that in Jammu district alone, 150 Sub Health Centres were still running in rented buildings besides most of them had no basic amenities including potable water, power supply, toilet facilities, which were essential under norms.
"Around 255 Sub Health Centers are running in Jammu district out of which around 150 Sub Health Centers are running from some rented buildings comprising one or two room sets", sources said, adding that more bizarrely, more than 125 Sub Health Centers lacks water, electricity and toilet facilities. They further added that only six percent Sub Health Centers have toilet facilities.
Moreover, all the SHC also grappled with scarcity of staff, as against the requirement of 510 employees according to guidelines IPHS, but in Jammu district there was around 191, creating a shortage of 319 employees.
Officials in Health Department revealed that according Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) a Sub Health Center should have a waiting room, labour room, clinic room, examination room, drinking water, power connection facility and a toilet for patients, but in violation of norms, most of the SHCs were running in one or two room tenements.
Astonishingly, in every Sub Health Center, the services like Labour room is essential for promoting institutional deliveries but there was no labour room in any of the Sub health Center in Jammu district, sources revealed, quoting data. Kamala Devi, a resident of village Kharian alleged that if government has established sub health center at various locals but without basic facilities, these centers were just wastage of money.
"If government has no funds for such Centers then they should close them. Few days back, I had visited a SHC for urine test but the SHC have no toilet facilities for collecting samples, due to which I had to visit Jammu", she said, adding that what was the usage of such centers for them.
When contacted District Programme Manager, Dr. Raj Kumar Gupta, he accepted that more than 50 percent of SHC have been running from rented accommodations in Jammu district. He further said that due to paucity of funds, the own buildings have not been constructed.
He further said that the vacant posts of employees, department has been mulling to advertise the posts soon. |
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