Minor's death uncloaks State's botched-up health system

Sunita Devi, the mother of 10-year-old Anjali, who died on Wednesday in Badkot area of Uttarkashi district, is inconsolable as she is unable to understand how diarrhea can be so fatal that it can take the life of her beloved daughter. However, the death of the girl has again exposed serious chinks in the health system of the State which has failed to provide doctors in the mountainous regions.  

The little girl was brought to Badkot hospital with problem of acute diarrhea from where she was referred to Community Health Centre (CHC) of Naugaun. The doctors at CHC referred the girl to Dehradun but the girl died before she could be taken to Dehradun.Father of Anjali, Jagat Singh Chauhan is a resident of Molda village located about 15 from Badkot is a farmer by profession. Father of five daughters and two sons, Jagat is hardly able to meet the ends. Talking to The Pioneer over phone Jagat said that Doctor in Badkot hospital administered four bottles of glucose to Anjali and asked him to take her to Naugaon CHC, from where the doctors referred her to Dehradun. “Dehradun is very far and I had no money so I decided to go back to Badkot to arrange money from my relatives but Anjali died in the meantime,” a sobbing Jagat said.

It was learnt that the CHC at Naugaon which is being run by Rajbhra Medicare society under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, has only four medical officers against stipulated 10. The hospital has two MBBS doctors, one dentist and one orthopedic surgeon. Interestingly the Badkot hospital was recently upgraded to CHC but the posts of doctors are yet to be sanctioned.

The deputy Chief Medical officer (DCMO) Dr Major Bachan Singh told The Pioneer that the girl was suffering from renal failure and her condition was very critical when brought to the hospital. He said that Dr Angad Rana examined the girl at Badkot and referred her to CHC. Dr Singh ruled out the possibility of diarrhea as her was the only case in the village. When contacted the CMO of Uttrakashi, Dr Mayank Upadhyay also said that Anjali was suffering from renal failure. He accepted that the number of doctors in Naugaon CHC is much less than required. The CMO said that the department has written many letters to the private player to provide the required number of specialists at CHC but nothing has happened.

Medical experts are of view that the people of mountainous area would continue to suffer till the large numbers of vacant posts of doctors are fulfilled. It is worth mentioning here that the health department is severely hampered by shortage of specialist doctors. The data suggests that out of 126 sanctioned posts of Surgeons 84 are lying vacant, similarly 99 posts of physicians, 57 posts of orthopedic surgeons, 98posts of radiologists, 86 posts of pathologists, 110 posts of gynecologists, 37 posts of cardiologists and 30 posts of dermatologists are lying vacant. To add to the woes of people of mountainous area majority of these specialist doctors are posted in the districts like Dehradun and Haridwar.