The Nuapada district Congress unit conducted a rally and demonstrated in front of the Community Health Centre here on Friday demanding filling up of vacant posts of doctors and improvement in services. In spite of the heavy rain, more than 500 party workers participated in the rally under the leadership of Kalahandi District Congress president Adhiraj Panigrahi.
The rally started from the Police Square and moved to the Community Health Centre, where a meeting was held and a memorandum containing 10 demands addressed to the District Collector was handed over to the Medical Officer in Charge Dr PC Achary.
“Out of 8 posts of doctors, six are lying vacant since last four years in this CHC where more than 400 patients arrive daily,” said Panigrahi.
The Community Health Centre at Khariar is the only health service outlets in the district, where the registration of patients is very high. There are only two doctors at present to look after 400 patients daily. Dr PC Achary who is a child specialist is overburdened with the day to day administrative work.
The blood storage unit in the Community Health Centre is defunct due to absence of trained staff. The licence of this storage unit has also expired two years ago. Members of Khadial Nagarik Manch had discussed about all these problems with the District Collector in August, 2012 and the latter had assured that she would look into the matter.
But the problems still remain unsolved. Two more specialist doctors were transferred after the visit of the District Collector to the Community Health Centre. The Congress party has raised all these issues again.
The Medical Officer after receiving the memorandum of the party unit said that the number of patients in the Community Health Centre has reduced from 400 to 300 within a year.
“A year ago, 400 patients got registered per day and on an average 50 patients were being admitted for indoor treatment. After the transfer of the medicine specialist and the gynecologist, the number has reduced to 300,” said Dr Achary.
“We have given a 10-day ultimatum to the district administration to address the problems,” said Panigrahi. Other leaders of the party included Nimai Charan Tandi and Chiku Tandi.