The State Government boasts of 5T and its improved healthcare system. But the ground reality shows a different picture. A burning example is the Sub-Divisional Hospital at Chhatrapur. The hospital has only eight doctors in place of 22 and 13 nurses in place of 32.
There has been a long demand to convert the hospital into a District Headquarters Hospital. A lot of money is being spent on the infrastructure and hospital area cleaning. The hospital has also got recognition by the State and Centre for its cleanliness but its service to patients is sub-standard due to lack of doctors and nurses.
People can only get primary treatment here and most of the time they are referred to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Brahmapur, for treatment. Doctor posts of major departments like medicine, surgery and anesthesia are vacant here. There are surgery instruments in the hospital but no doctors for any surgery of patients makes the valuable instruments useless.
The NH-16 has passed through this town and most of the time victims of major accidents on the NH are rushed to the hospital. But it is deplorable to find that the hospital does not have a 'Mahaprayana' vehicle meant to carry the bodies. People take their near and dear ones in private vehicles.
There is no quarter facility for the doctors so that they can stay here 24 hours. The special cabins constructed are already in damaged condition and one ultra sound machine is lying unused.