Ailing dispensaries

THAT rural dispensaries in Punjab are ailing is a cause for concern, necessitating urgent intervention of the authorities. For, dependent on them is the basic health of nearly two-thirds of the state’s population that resides in villages. Not only are the dispensaries bereft of the required staff in some, doctors double up as pharmacists but many buildings housing them are in a dilapidated condition as not a penny has been sanctioned for the upkeep of the majority of the rural dispensaries in the past 17 years. The budget for medicines and diagnostics, too, has not been revised in this period, causing problems for both the givers and recipients of healthcare.

This utter neglect had led the Rural Development Department which had been given charge of the 1,186 rural dispensaries in 2006 to pull out; three years ago, it started handing over the dispensaries back to the Health Department and is today left with around 550 health centres. Things have reached this crippling state due to sheer apathy, exhibited by knee-jerk decisions taken by various governments over the years, unwillingness of doctors and paramedical staff to work in rural areas and lack of funds for the medicines and equipment needed. Demonstrating arbitrariness, the AAP government, soon after coming to power last March, blindly replicated the ‘Delhi model’ in the state and converted health and wellness centres into Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs). It pulled out staff from the rural dispensaries to man these mohalla clinics. However, facing protests from villagers, it has now decided to run the AACs in the empanelment mode.

Taking this model into the interiors, the state government plans to convert nearly 550 rural dispensaries also into AACs. Hopefully, supported by a healthy budget, they will provide much-needed aid to the villagers.