Patient count drops in Lohaghat hospital

BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, June 29

The number of patients arriving at the Lohaghat hospital in Champawat district has reduced after it started functioning under the public private partnership (PPP) mode on October 25, 2013. Since then, it does not have sufficient number of doctors and paramedical staff to provide proper medical services.

According to hospital sources, the number of OPD patients in the hospital in 2013 was 76,606 before it was given to a private management under the PPP mode. But it reduced to 61,525 in 2014.

“Besides, the number of in-patients has also reduced to 4,169 from 5,712 before its management was handed over to a private party,” said Naval Joshi, an employee in the hospital.

According to the sources, not only the number of patients has come down in the hospital, but also the number of delivery cases has reduced to 1,177 from 1,287 every year.

Social workers attributed the scenario to insufficient number of doctors in the hospital, negligent attitude of doctors and staff as well as their preference for private practice.

“The number of doctors has been reduced to half of the strength mentioned in the agreement signed by the government with a private hospital based in Bareilly. The doctors prefer private practice to discharging their duties here,” said Rita Gahtori, a social worker in Lohaghat town.

Govind Verma, another social worker of the town, said the hospital had become a referral centre after it was given into private hands. “Even women are being referred to private hospitals for delivery,” said Verma.

Residents getting drinking water once in 4 days

Residents of seven wards in the Lohaghat town area received drinking water supply after four days today. Sources in the Jal Sansthan at Lohaghat said the situation had arised as natural sources feeding the town and surrounding villages have not been recharged due to poor rainfall this month.

Pawan Singh Bisht, a Jal Sansthan engineer, said due to minimum generation of water from natural sources on which the residents depend, the town is getting drinking water once in four days while the villages are getting water only for 30 minutes per day.

“The main schemes, such as Banswar and Shivalaya tubewells and the lift scheme at Chauri, are generating very less amount of water, which can only be supplied once every four days,” the engineer said.

Some financially-sound people are taking water from a source at Barakot, 20 km away from Lohaghat town.

According to Jal Santhan officers, the town is getting only 4.5 lakh litres of water in 24 hours these days, whereas the requirement is of over 12 lakh litres of drinking water per day.

In Champawat district headquarters, the Jal Santhan is distributing drinking water through tankers as the water supply has not improved.

“Even after the pre-monsoon spells of rain last week, the water generation from natural sources has not improved,” said PC Kargati, an engineer with the Champawat Jal Santhan.