Suhail Rather

Bandipora, 14 July (KNS): Rural health centers in Bandipora district are facing severe administrative issues and lack of proper oversight. Many locals report that health workers are neglecting their duties or taking unapproved leaves, leaving the community without necessary health services.

According to KNS Correspondent, residents said that these centers are often closed, and when open, only a single staff member is available to assist. It has been noted that employees often make their first appearance at the centers as late as 11:30 AM. In some areas, if there are three assigned employees, one is on duty while the other two enjoy their time at home.

In the most remote parts of Bandipora, there is no oversight from the Health Department, forcing the rural population to fend for themselves. Despite significant government funding for rural health care, the lack of effective monitoring and administrative control at the Block level has rendered many health services non-functional.

Furthermore, there are serious allegations that over a dozen health workers, including MLHPs, are exacerbating the issues of absenteeism and mismanagement.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelMany doctors at Primary Health Centers (PHCs) also do not make their presence regularly, severely impacting healthcare services in rural areas.

Residents urged the Lieutenant Governor to take immediate action against the responsible Health Officers and enforce the ban on attachments, which is reportedly being ignored. They called for stringent measures to ensure accountability and regular attendance of the health workers.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has promised to address the issue as a priority. He stated that the Block Medical Officer (BMO) has been directed to ensure attendance of employees on a daily basis to maintain punctuality. However, multiple calls and meetings by this reporter with the BMO Bandipora have not yielded fruitful results on the ground, indicating a disregard for orders from senior officials by the employees.

It remains to be seen how these commitments will translate into meaningful action, as the rural communities continue to suffer from inadequate healthcare services due to the negligence of the health workers. (KNS)