The people in the mountainous regions continue to face hardships due to inadequate medical facilities. The community health centre in the border area of Joshimath in Chamoli district presents a grim picture of the problems being faced by the public in the health centre.
In addition to the shortage of doctors, the patients visiting the CHC face problems due to medical equipments developing snags. The patients visiting the CHC are forced to spend more money at private hospitals due to the medical equipments being out of working order at the CHC.The members of the economically weaker sections of society are facing the brunt of official apathy towards the problems ailing the Joshimath CHC.The sole CHC in the Joshimath area has been facing various problems since it was established here. Various important posts of doctors including child specialist, orthopaedic and gynaecologist have been lying vacant here for years now.
The printer of the ultra sound machine installed here is not working for about six months now but the authorities are unable to get it repaired.This raises questions on the work efficiency of the medical department. A radiologist is posted here but the machine has been out of order for six months. Added to this, the X-ray machine too has been out of order for about a month now.The Joshimath CHC is of vital importance for not only the local population in Joshimath and nearby areas but also from the view point of tourists, as Joshimath is among the major halts on the Yatra circuit and the nearest town to the winter sports destination of Auli.
As road accidents are a regular sight in this area, those injured in mishaps are given first aid at the CHC before being referred to a higher centre for treatment. The locals complain that the Joshimath community health centre has become little more than a referral centre. The locals are forced to approach private medical treatment centres due to inadequate facilities at the CHC.During his term as the Chief Minister of the State, Vijay Bahuguna had announced while touring the area that a trauma centre would be opened to modernise the CHC. However, no action has been taken on the announcement made by him.
Far from taking steps to modernise the CHC, the authorities have failed to maintain the existing facilities and resolve the shortage of doctors. At a time when the State Government is claiming to have taken various measures to boost winter pilgrimage and tourism in Uttarakhand, the failure to facilitate desired medical care in Joshimath exposes the Government’s attention towards it.