JAJPUR: The Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Jenapur in Dharmasala block is running without a doctor and pharmacist for the last several months. Around 50,000 people of 50 villages under eight panchayats are now deprived of health care facilities.
“Patients visiting this Government hospital are not getting treatment due to unavailability of both doctor and pharmacist. Poor patients who visit this hospital bear the brunt as they have no money to go to a private hospital or nursing home for treatment,” said a local Lal Mohan Satpathy.
He said that Jenapur PHC is situated near NH-53 and the stretch between Chandikhole and Duburi Chowk in Kalinga Nagar is an accident-prone area. But the road accident patients are suffering the most due to absence of doctor and pharmacist in the PHC.
“Accidents occur frequently on the stretch and two-wheeler riders suffer serious injuries. But the injured have to travel at least 15 km to get even primary treatment at Dharmasala CHC. Locals have repeatedly raised the problem with the district health authorities, but to no avail,” he said.
Recently, members of Banamali Sahitya O Seva Sangathan of Jenapur have taken up the issue with the Collector.
A delegation of the organisation, led by its president Nirmalya Kumar Pradhan, met Collector Ranjan Kumar Das on Thursday and submitted a memorandum for posting a doctor and a pharmacist in the PHC within 10 days.
The organisation has also threatened to take to the streets if the authorities fail to solve their problem.A district health official said steps would be taken to deploy a doctor and a pharmacist soon.