NTPHC in Bandipora village without electricity for 5 years, vital machinery gathers dust

Bandipora, June 9: The New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) at Quilmuqam village in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district has been without electricity since it was handed over to the department in 2019.

Locals said that the machinery at the facility was gathering dust and has rendered the facility nearly non-functional for a large number of people living in the village and its peripheral areas.

They said that after several pleas over the years, the PHE Department was “humble enough” and laid pipes to the hospital some time ago, but it was with their own money that the locals installed tapes inside the facility.

“The department has been insensitive to the needs of people and doesn't bat an eye despite the situation locals are being put through daily,” Abdul Wahid Shah a village Lambardar told Greater Kashmir.

The locals said they had approached concerned authorities multiple times to redress the grievances about the power supply, but no one was putting in sincere efforts to get the hospital electricity that it needed.

Shah said that the vital machines like X-ray, ECG, and all other machinery worth lakhs of rupees were lying defunct and gathering dust, forcing a sizable number of people to seek treatment even for minor ailments at the district hospital.

“The machines are worth lakhs of rupees but they haven't been put to use, which is depressing,” he said. “It has been three years and the department has been making estimates for a transformer the hospital requires. However, it has not been sanctioned yet despite the HT line passing over the hospital compound.”

Shah said each time estimates were renewed, the CMO and BMO on certain occasions visited here and showed us the paperwork sent to higher authorities, but nothing is moving except the paperwork, from one table to another.

He said several protests were held to get the attention of the authorities, and the pleas seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.

The villagers said the facility was important for people living around Quil village and the majority of the population in upper reaches like Gujjar Basti, Reshwari, Tangpathri Hapatnaar, and Kamawari.

“But without electricity at the health centre, people from these habitations are forced to move to the district hospital to spend an entire day to get treatment for minor ailments, or get a small test done,” Shah said. “It is undermining the purpose of this NTPHC when it had doctors working daily on a roaster basis and could cater to the good amount of population.”

The villagers said hundreds of these uphill villagers, who are underprivileged and mostly poor may have benefited, but to no avail.

Shah said it was important for the concerned departments to redress the grievances and provide the hospital with a power supply as soon as possible.