Lack of facilities hit patient care at NTPHC Ashpora in Handwara, allege locals

Handwara, Feb 24: Lack of adequate healthcare facilities at New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) at Ashpora in Block Langate of Handwara is causing immense problems to the people with locals demanding round-the-clock facilities.
The decades-old Health Centre has been consecutively overlooked by the previous governments as well as the present dispensation, with the healthcare facilities below par, locals alleged.
They said that the lack of staff and proper healthcare facilities in the PHC is forcing them to shift patients to Handwara or Baramulla hospitals even for minor issues. “It becomes very difficult for them to move to other facilities particularly in case of emergencies, as the NTPHC has no ambulance facility,” locals added.
“Authorities have kept the NTPHC only on papers, as it has a building with no laboratory and other basic facilities,” said Irshad Ahmed, a local. He said that the facility lacks gynaecologists, X-ray and ECG.
He said that the PHC has its own ambulance but is of no use in absence of a driver post. “We have to call the 108 service in case of emergencies, but by the time the service reaches them, the patient has to go through the immense hardships”.
Despite several appeals to the higher-ups, nothing has been done so far in this regard, residents said while appealing to the LG administration to look into the grievance at the earliest.
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Langate Dr Gowher said that they have been taken up with the issue with the higher ups from time to time, and they are working on it to resolve the genuine demands of people.
“We have an ambulance in NTPHC but the driver attained superannuation. It’s not in our domain to appoint a new driver”, BMO said.
He said that the NTPHC has no technician posts for X-Ray and laboratory.
He said that the centre is functioning 24×7 and they have deputed extra staff there. (KNO)