Threat to new scheme: Valpoi CHC plagued by several ills

ABDULLAH KHAN | NT
VALPOI
The community health centre at Valpoi, which is the largest health facility in Sattari taluka catering to more than 60,000 people, has been plagued by a host of problems. The health centre has been functioning without facilities like power backup and air-conditioning system and the concerned department has failed to maintain the important healthcare facility.
Owing to the nonuse of modern medical facilities at the CHC, people are forced to go to private clinics.
The CHC was designed to have state-of-the-art facilities like neonatal ward, operation theatre, laboratory for blood test and morgue.
However, except for the lab, all other facilities have not been in use, raising doubts about feasibility of the government’s proposal on optimization of the medical facilities by roping in private doctors under the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana.
Several healthcare experts at Valpoi have said the government should conduct an inspection and evaluate the ground realities before going ahead with this move.
The situation has not improved much at the centre except for hiring of a few contractual medical personnel like ayurvedic doctor and homeopath.
“The shortage of medical practitioners can deny healthcare services to the people,” said a resident who is opposed to the proposal.
Many people questioned as who would maintain the operation theatre, as many a times in such an agreement private hospitals overlook the maintenance aspect.
Often villagers face problems in getting medical care at the CHC whose OPD is visited by more than 300 people every day.
Ruing about the poor healthcare facilities at the CHC which is housed in a huge building, Laxman Gaonkar (42) of Shirsode village said, “We visit the CHC to get necessary healthcare services, which must be delivered in a timely manner.”
At present, the Valpoi CHC has only six medical officers. And out of these six, two have been posted to the primary health centre at Sankhali. There are vacant posts for senior surgeon, junior gynaecologist, physician and anaesthetist.
Several other posts have also been vacant.
An X-ray machine is due for maintenance, while a sonography machine which had been installed several years ago has remained unused as no radiologist has been appointed here.
However, the visiting gynaecologist is using this machine only for antenatal patients.
“We receive 50 patients on a daily basis for ultrasound. Due to the unavailability of the facility, we ask the patients to go to private medical centres,” said a senior doctor on the condition of anonymity.
The CHC administration had lodged several complaints with the authorities concerned, but to no avail.
It is learnt from reliable sources that air-conditioning system installed at the CHC never functioned after a few months of its installation.
Doctors had complained that there had been frequent power outages as there is no power backup, which gives them a lot of hardship.
However, sources now are claiming that the woe of power outages has been resolved.
“When an exhaust fan is put on it triggers a power outage. We have been told by some electricians that the faulty electrical work hampers the smooth functioning of the CHC, ” a staffer said, adding that smooth functioning of the elevator needs power backup as many a times patients are shifted through the lift.
Asked about the poor functioning of the CHC, health official Dr Gajanan Naik said, “I have been transferred to Valpoi recently… I am not aware of the problems affecting the CHC. However, I have apprised the higher authorities of the issues pertaining to erratic electricity supply and other facilities.”
He said the medical facilities at the CHC would have to be upgraded if the government goes ahead with the move to rope in private doctors for implementing the new medical insurance scheme.
Former health minister Vishwajit Rane slammed the government for the move.
“It will be a total mess; the health department has already collapsed. They cannot even maintain the existing health infrastructure. The government has failed to appoint specialist doctors at the CHC… How the Health Minister will be able to handle the private doctors’ involvement at the CHC,” Rane asked.