Residents of the Ganderbal district in central Kashmir are being forced to transfer their patients to other hospitals in the area due to the insufficient staffing at the New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) Chahtergul in the Kangan sub-division.
The hospital lacks enough physicians and paramedics despite having a decent infrastructure.
As a consequence, the hospital has served as an “ineffective” medical facility for the patients.
The hospital, according to the locals, employs one sweeper, one pharmacist, and one doctor.
They said that the newly built NTPHC Chahtergul hospital building does not fulfill the reason it was established.
“During the day, just one doctor manages the hospital, despite the fact that it ought to be open around-the-clock for the sake of the patients. Pregnant women who cannot locate a gynecologist in this area must rent cars to make medical appointments at other hospitals, which is the hardest-impacted group, according to the residents.
“The staff strength has not increased despite being an NTPHC,” a resident named Ghulam Rasool said.
“Why was it necessary to spend crores of rupees on such an infrastructure when there is not enough staff?”
According to locals, the NTPHC needs to be updated with enough personnel and space so that it may fulfill its intended role as a medical center.
Arhama road connection improvement is demanded by the locals.
Residents of Arhama, Anderwan, and the surrounding communities have expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the road connection that connects them to the national highway.
The road from the main highway to Arhama hamlet was macdamized last year, but the route from Arhama to Anderwan was left unmacdamized, according to the villagers.
They added that the people are inconvenienced by the abandoned and pothole-filled road.
According to them, the neighborhood lacks a decent transportation system since drivers are afraid of damaging their cars while using the run-down road.
Residents said that it is difficult to move around or travel on this route and that in an emergency, “we have to take them on the shoulder” for patients.
Residents said that even though the R&B department created a DPR for this project, many years have passed and no construction has yet begun.
In order to prevent further suffering, they implored the R&B department and administration to macadamise the road.
An important Kangan bridge is still unfinished.
The unfinished crucial bridge across Nallah Sindh that connects Akhal Village and its surrounding regions to the tehsil headquarters, Kangan, is causing challenges for the locals.
Locals claim that despite repeated requests to higher authorities, the bridge is being completed abnormally slowly.
The bridge, which stretches 84 meters and was approved in 2008 at an estimated cost of Rs 8.96 crore, was scheduled to be finished by September 2014.
But insufficient funds caused work to be delayed, which greatly infuriated the residents. Locals claim the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) took up the bridge project.
They said that “many representations have been made to various government offices over the years, but the bridge’s completion remains elusive.”
After objections, the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department repeatedly deemed the ancient bridge dangerous for light motor vehicles; as a result, locals briefly reopened the bridge for light motor vehicles, exacerbating the problem.
It still carries a lot of danger, however.
The consequences of this delay were emphasized by the locals, who pointed out that several villages, including Akhal, Kunmullah, Najwan, Check Akhal, Nillah Najwan, Tangchatter, Hayan, Palpora, and others, lack basic amenities like fire and emergency services and healthcare facilities.
