| In Jammu district, 40% SHCs function from rented buildings, sans basic facilities | | | Bijay Charak
Early TImes Report
Jammu, Oct 1: Forty percent of Sub Health Centres (SHCs) in Jammu district operate from rented buildings with most of them lacking basic facilities.
Sources in the Health Department told Early Times that out of the 255 SHCs, more than 100 don't have basic facilities like water, electricity and toilet.
Moreover, they are facing acute dearth of staff, adding to sufferings of the people, said sources.
"Against the mandatory requirement of 510 employees according to Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) guidelines, there are 360 only," said sources.
The IPHS guidelines also say that a SHC should have a waiting room, a labour room, a clinic room, an examination room, and drinking water, power connection facility and a toilet for patients. But in violation of the norms, most of the SHCs are operating from one or two room tenements.
Ironically, there is no labour room in any SHC of Jammu district. "If government has no funds for SHCs then they should close them. Few days ago, I visited a SHC for urine test but it had no toilet facilities for collecting samples," said Usha Devi, a resident of Kharian village of Miran Sahib.
When contacted, District Programme Manager, Jammu, said that due to paucity of funds, the SHCs are being run from rented buildings.
"We have discussed the matter with higher authorities. The vacant posts would be advertised soon," he said. |
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