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Hatsingimari: At a time when Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is taking steps to introduce many hospitals and develop healthcare
projects across the state, people of Kalapani in South Salamara has just one
healthcare sub-centre. This sub-centre lacks proper medical equipment and has
only one doctor who attends to patients as well as does administrative work of
the hospital.
The
colour of the ambulances parked outside the hospital turned green from white
due to the gathering of moss. The ambulances have not been used since 2016 as
there are no drivers. The DG is no more functional and the sub-centre gets
electricity for just two hours. This has been creating a lot of problem in case
of delivery cases and other emergencies.
The
locals of the area said that the condition of the hospital is so poor that if
any emergency medical condition arises, they have to take the patients either
to Goalpara or Guwahati for better treatment in a private vehicle as the
ambulance service has stopped.
"We use thelas (hand-pulled carts), rickshaws to ferry patients as the ambulance service is not available. We also want more doctors as there is only one doctor in this sub-centre.
Now the locals are raising questions. They are saying that if the government is focusing on development of hospitals and healthcare facilities in other parts of the state then why is government not focusing on places like Kalapani. Locals are also saying that the government is not concerned about Kalapani because it is an area dominated by minority communities.
A
local said that in 2015 the ambulance service was made available for the area
but the ambulances are just standing outside the healthcare centre as there are
no drivers and now, they have just turned into junk.
The
hospital caters not just to the 20 twenty nearby villages with a population of
about one lakh but people of other villages too are dependent on this hospital.
Around seven to eight lakhs people of nearby areas also come to this hospital
due to lack of proper healthcare facilities in the area. The locals have
requested the state's health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to look into the
matter and to ensure development of the hospital as soon as possible with
better health facilities, doctors and nurses, ambulance driver, medical
equipment and necessary medicines so that people of the area can get better
medical treatment in the hospital in times of emergency.