Even as the State Government claims taking many steps to reform health services in rural areas, an ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) centre remaining incomplete for the last three years in a gram panchayat under Puri district’s Nimapara block for the last three years shows the real picture.
According to information, the Rural Development Department has been ANM centres in villages to reform the health services in the rural areas.
Accordingly, construction of such a centre had begun in Denua gram panchayat under Nimapara block. However, the centre named “Denua ANM Center” has not yet been completed. Now, the ANM premises has been turned into a grazing field for cows and bulls.
When asked, the Nimapara RD SDO said he didn’t know about the centre and, even, could not give any date for completion of the work. The Sarpanch has alleged that the ANM centre has not been completed only due behavior of RD officials.The villagers have demanded early completion and functioning of the ANM center.