Health centre turns storehouse of husk

SAGAR/BHOPAL: Villagers in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district turned a primary health centre into a makeshift warehouse for storing their wheat husk as the facility allegedly remain closed almost throughout the year, underscoring dismal condition of state’s medical infrastructure.

Defending their action, villagers said in a year the health centre in Celon village opens only twice—on the occasion of Republic Day on January 26 and Independence Day on August 15—for hoisting of the national flag.

“On these occasions, some employees of the centre come and then leave after the flag hoisting. Recently we came to know that a doctor had been posted here but we have no knowledge when he comes ,” said Raj Narayan Raikwar, a village panchayat secretary.

The PHC lies deserted, so villagers started storing wheat husk in some of the rooms, said villager Devendra Tripathi.

The wheat husk is used by the villagers as cattle feed.

After the bizarre development came to the light, the district administration ordered an inquiry into the matter.

“The Rajnagar sub-divisional magistrate along with health officials will conduct an inquiry and submit a report after which necessary action will be taken,” said Chhatarpur collector Ramesh Bhandari.

The state health officials, however, rubbished the villagers’ claim that the PHC was nonfunctional . “The doctor posted at the PHC was transferred some months ago. A doctor was recently posted at Celon, but for some time he has been attached with a government programme,” said Dr Pankaj Rastogi, block medical officer of Rajnagar, under which the Celon PHC falls.

HT Claiming that the primary health centre (PHC) was deserted, the villagers started stacking wheat husk inside it. Officials, however, maintainted that the PHC was functional.