BARIPADA: Residents of Baisinga in Mayurbhanj district have urged the state government to upgrade the century-old health centre located near NH-18 into a trauma care centre.
Stating that NH-18 is an accident-prone highway, the residents said there is an urgent need to upgrade the health facility to a trauma care centre to provide specialised care to people suffering serious injuries in road mishaps.
The locals further said they have been demanding for upgradation of the heath centre since the past 25 years.
In October 2023, villagers of 21 panchayats in Baisinga had also staged protest over the demand. However, no steps have been taken in this regard.
They said though the government has recently constructed two morgues at a cost of Rs 9 lakh each, the health centre is facing challenges due to lack of doctors and absence of a dressing room, which is essential for treating accident victims.
“We are initially demanding a dressing room and two to three additional doctors. Apart from local accident victims, patients from Betnoti and parts of Balasore also depend on the facility for treatment,” they said.
The residents said they will submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling over the demand soon.