The Community Health Centre (CHC) at Khariar is one of the premier health institutions of Nuapada district that provides services to at least three to four hundred patients daily.
It is a 16-bed hospital, but the IPD (inpatient department) is crowded with more than 30 to 40 patients every day. The average rate of institutional delivery per month is about 350 and 10 per cent of this happens to be critical cases.
Patients of adjacent villages of Balangir and Kalahandi districts also depend on the health centre for availing services, but due to lack of buildings, infrastructure and manpower, the objective of providing effective service to needy remains unfulfilled.
The CHC lacks adequate rooms required for different services. There is no ultra sound facility at present although it is necessary, considering the high number of gynaecology cases. It is learnt that the CHC has deposited the caution money for grant of registration of ultra sound machine in Khariar CHC in August 2017, but fund has not yet been allotted, which has resulted in a lot of hardship for the pregnant women of the area.
“There is a generator to fulfill the requirement during the power cut, but it does not bear the load required for the hospital. Further, the Gen-set creates a lot of noise and smoke” said the staff of the CHC. “Khariar MlA Duryodhan Majhi has allotted Rs 6 lakh for installation of a Gen-set but it is yet to be provided,” they added.
The toilet constructed under Swachha Bharat Mission has no water supply and is yet to be handed over by the NAC to the CHC, even after six months of the construction.
The Government had allotted Rs 1.68 crore during 2017-18 for the construction of CHC building in Khariar, but due to nonavailability of land, the fund remains unutilized. likewise, the funds allotted for construction of drug warehouse (Rs 50 lakh) and postmortem room is (Rs 2 lakh) have not been utilized for the same reason.
“A Vast area, about one hundred acres of wasteland, is available in the heart of Khariar town owned by the Forest department, which was transferred from the Revenue department in the early eighties. Proposal should be sent by the concerned departments to the Forest and Environment Ministry for conversion of the land,” opined BJP leader Sanjay Tiwari and added that the DFO residence in Khariar town is located in a sprawling area of 4 acre of revenue land and they should vacate the land.
Chairperson of Khariar Panchayat Samiti Balkrishna Sabar supported the stance of Tiwari. “When the Government is converting thousands of acres of forest lands for industrial and mining purposes, why is it not giving only six to ten acre for the construction of the health centreIJ Is it not violation of human rights,” he asserted.
“A number of private institutions have encroached prime land in Khariar town and in the vicinity, without even having any permissive possession from the Government and the Revenue department has not sent a single notice to free the encroachment. These institutions have constructed their buildings in those encroached plots even though their applications to the Revenue department have not yet been processed. land would not be a problem, if these encroachers are evicted. Has the administration taken any step to evict themIJ” Tiwari said.
Meanwhile, an official said that the funds allotted for the buildings may lapse in a month or two if action is not taken.