The Port Town of Paradip which is the gateway of Odisha and one of the fastest growing industrial hubs, where population is also rising at a high rate, is deficient of proper healthcare facilities.
Except the only Government hospital, the Biju Memorial Hospital, there are no modern healthcare facilities here. local MlA and Excise Minister Damodar Rout never fails to shower promises on improving the facilities of the hospital, modernising it and converting it into a hospital with 100 beds, but sadly the promises never translated into action. Even when Rout was the State Health Minister, the lone hospital remained ignored.
Now Paradip Town is a mega industrial town having the Port, the Paradip Phosphates ltd (PPl), the Indian Farmers and Fertilisers Cooperatives (IFFCO), the Paradip Oil Refinery, the Essar Steel, the Cargil India, the SKOl Beverage Factory and the Goa Carbons etc.
There are also hundreds of small and medium industries in Paradip. Besides, there are also several marketing terminals of oil companies like IOCl, BPCl and HPCl.
Above one lakh people are living in and around Paradip. The pollution related diseases are important factors as health hazard for locals. But the State Government is not taking any action for the improvement of the health centre at Paradip.
As a result, fake doctors, medicine stores and pathology laboratories are taking advantage of the situation. Even some touts and quacks are selling prohibited and fake medicines most of whom are based at Atharabanki Municipal market near which the Biju Memorial Hospital is situated.
Fake doctors and medicine stores are more near the Government Medical at Atharbanki main market, Badaparia slum area like Sandhakuda, Nuabazar, Brundaban Colony, Atharbanki lock Para, Balijhara and Udayabata area. The Drug Inspector never visits Paradip but is allowing all these to happen for vested interest.
On other hand, the doctors posited in the Biju Memorial Hospital are hands in glove with the medicine stores and refer patients to these stores for buying medicines. Free medicines of Government supply are never distributed. Therefore, the poor people are suffering a lot and are forced to purchase high priced medicines.
In view of the situation, the Paradip Civil Society has demanded the State Health Minister to investigate the irregularities and take appropriate steps so that the poor get proper healthcare benefits.