People of Soseng and Sunabeda panchayats of Nuapada district are sure that two doctors would be posted to the Public Health Centre (PHC) at Sunabeda which is dysfunctional since long. They believe the present Collector of Nuapada does what she says. "The electricity was connected immediately after her last visit; and we are sure she would keep her promise that she made at this meeting today," observed the villagers after the departure of the Collector on Friday.
The people were assured about posting of doctors and other facilities in the PHC by Collector Poma Tudu on the occasion of a social audit meeting held at village Sosong in the Maoist-infested Sunabeda plateau. "I assure you that two doctors will be posted in the PHC in next one month; and women and children here will get all health facilities," stated she at the meeting of about 500 villagers. "All facilities for institutional delivery will be available at Sunabeda; and I hope no woman will be deprived of her right," added she. She also assured for making the ambulance service functional.
State Food Commission Chairman Ranglal Jamuda, who was present in the district since Thursday to review programmes, also spared his time to attend the social audit meeting. It was a good occasion for sharing of views between the people and the officials.
The meeting was the end event of the social audit process initiated by NGO SPREAD a few days ago to involve people to review the impact of health and food security programmes and assess the gaps therein. The information collected from people by the NGO was presented before the Food Commission and the district administration.
The findings highly praised the implementation of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the panchayat. "The PDS has covered all deserving households and there is no complaint on the quantity and quality of rice and the frequency of distribution," stated the survey. However, the findings were critical about the health situation and quality of midday meal and the Supplementary Nutrition programme (SNP) under the ICDS. "Absence of health facilities forces women to deliver children at home. We have found that all the twelve child births in last one year in the panchayat are deliveries at home. The high cost of transportation of food stuffs is the main hurdle for providing adequate foods to the beneficiaries under MDM and SNP," observed the survey.
DRDA PD Bhrusabha Naik and Komna BDO Debasis Sinha were also present.