Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which has been implemented by the Government promising safe motherhood, has failed in Koraput district due to negligence of the doctors and officials.
According to sources, the office of the District Headquarters Hospital, which provides cheques to the beneficiaries of the scheme, mostly remains closed during its scheduled time.
If a pregnant woman protests it, she reportedly faces difficulties in getting discharge report from doctor. It is also alleged that even the designated officials deliberately make mistakes while mentioning date or other details in cheques issued to the beneficiaries.
Sources reveal that a beneficiary had to return from a branch of the Utkal Gramya Bank empty-handed on Tuesday last as the dates mentioned on the cheque did not match. While on its front side, the date was given as April 30, 2012, the year was mentioned as 2013 on its back side.
Similarly, in the Sub-Divisional Hospital at Jeypore, also several cheque bounce cases have come to light on account of which the beneficiaries return empty-handed and had to run from pillar to post to get the financial assistance for no fault of theirs.
Moreover, the 24-hour service in the Newborn Baby Care Centre in the District Headquarters Hospital is only a farce.
Patients alleged that one cannot find a nurse in the centre after midnight and they can be spotted sleeping here and there late in the night. Hence, if babies cry at night, the nurses seldom inform their families.
It is also alleged that birth certificates are not issued to the beneficiaries when they get discharged from the hospital resulting in gross violation of Government norms.
Some beneficiaries in the Jeypore hospital alleged that they have to buy medicines for their newborns even though the Government provides free treatment and medicines for the new comers up to 30 days under the scheme.
It is also alleged that drivers of Janani express vehicle demand money from the patients, in failure of which they harass them in several ways.
Besides, many hospitals of the district provide poor quality food to the women after delivery.
The food provided to them is of substandard quality and the milk is diluted with water. The Rogi Kalyan Samiti also does not sit frequently to sort out the problems of patients.
The locals demanded that the district administration and the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) should intervene in the matter and take immediate measures for providing quality health service in the district.