Kulgam, Feb 15: Residents of Chowgam village in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district decry the lack of access to healthcare facilities for the third consecutive year due to the delayed handover-takeover process of the nearly-constructed New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC).
Despite the completion of the construction of the NTPHC in 2020, the building remains locked and unused.
Locals have expressed frustration over the delay, saying they have been waiting for the health centre to be operational so that they can receive better healthcare services. They have urged the authorities to inaugurate the health centre at the earliest.
The NTPHC, as per locals, presently functions from three small rooms where a doctor visits a couple of times in a week.
“The health department has been made aware of this serious matter that affects a large area, but no action has been taken. The people suffer from this lackadaisical approach of the administration. We fail to understand why despite multiple reports, the health centre is not made functional,” Vijay Raina, Sarpanch Chowgam, told Rising Kashmir.
He said that some dispute between the executing agency and the concerned department is said to be the reason for the non-functioning of the centre, “but it shouldn’t be at the cost of the sufferings of the common people”.
Mashooq Ahmad, a local, said that areas like Nawa, Khargund, Gundapora, Lammer, Brinel, Berigam, Churat, and Chowgam will get healthcare facilities if this NTPHC is made functional and a doctor deputed for a full week. “For even minor ailments, we have to visit Qazigund hospital which is 7 kilometres away from here,” he said.
Moreover, the Primary Health Centre (PHC) Devsar and Nehama in Kulgam are facing the same issues, an official said.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Kulgam told Rising Kashmir that the executive agency – Jammu & Kashmir Housing Board (JKHB) – can explain the issue in a better way.
An official of the JKHB said these projects are languishing for a long time now. “These works were taken up through piece workers as per the procedure in vogue by the Jammu & Kashmir Housing Board without tendering process before July 2019 and huge work-done claims of the piece workers have remained unpaid,” he said, adding, “No payment has been released under the languishing scheme in the absence of the requisite formalities post fixation of conditions.”
The official further said, “The health department is saying that there has been no proper tendering and after the change in policy the payment couldn’t proceed, and things are standstill to date. There are a number of such projects which are pending the formal handover-takeover process. Even higher officials are aware of these issues but so far there has been no positive outcome.”
