Shortage of manpower ails homoeopathy dispensary

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 24

With a view to providing primary healthcare to the people of Punjab through homoeopathy, several dispensaries were opened under the National Health Mission (NHM). But in the absence of adequate infrastructure both dispensaries, state-run and the one under NHM, are functioning under one roof at Bhai Mani Singh Civil Hospital here.

Besides, both the dispensaries are grappling with the shortage of medicines. Pleading anonymity, a homoeopathy dispensary employee said earlier only NHM homeopathy dispensary was functioning in the OPD block of the hospital.

The hospital authorities had provided them two rooms to initialize the services. The state-run homoeopathy dispensary was functioning from the headquarters located in the Civil Lines area. However, after demolition of the headquarters by the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) for the construction of commercial buildings, it was shifted to one of their rooms at the OPD block of the civil hospital.

As a result, the NHM dispensary now has one room to store and disburse medicines. He said though they had apprised the department of the requirement of infrastructure and medicines, no steps had been taken so far.

Moreover, the two doctors deputed at these dispensaries visit twice a week in other homoeopathy dispensaries located in the district and that too on Mondays and Thursdays.

When contacted, Vijay Kumar Bansal, joint director, homoeopathy, Punjab, said, “As of now, we are reeling under acute shortage of staff. We have already sent a proposal to the Central Government to facilitate supply of medicines in the entire state. The problem will be resolved soon.”

On both the dispensaries running under one roof, he said, “Though it is the Civil Surgeon’s responsibility to allocate space to the state-run dispensary, but we will look into the matter.”