One pharmacist, one nurse running community health centre near Palampur
Facility catering to 24 panchayats of Jaisinghpur and Sullah Assembly constituencies is grappling with an alarming shortage of staff
The Community Health Centre (CHC) at Khera village, 15 km from Palampur, which caters to around 24 panchayats of the Jaisinghpur and Sullah Assembly constituencies, is grappling with an alarming shortage of staff, severely affecting healthcare services in the area.
The centre, which is mandated to provide round-the-clock emergency and routine medical services, is at present functioning with a skeletal manpower. Out of four sanctioned posts of staff nurse, three are vacant. Similarly, three of the four approved posts of pharmacist are vacant. As a result, only one pharmacist and one staff nurse is running the medical institution by managing OPD services, emergency cases, inpatient care and other essential duties.
The absence of Class-IV employees has aggravated the situation. All five sanctioned posts in this category are lying vacant, compelling outsourced workers to handle sanitation and allied services. The lone pharmacist is reportedly burdened with multiple roles, including dispensing medicines, maintaining records and also performing clerical tasks.
With an average daily OPD attendance of 100 to 150 patients, long queues and extended waiting hours have become a routine. The excessive workload has not only strained the limited staff but has also led to growing frustration among patients, occasionally resulting in tense situations.
Local representatives, including Ram Pal and Ashok Sood, along with concerned residents have urged Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil and Ayush and Sports Minister Yadvinder Goma, who is also local MLA, to fill the vacant posts without delay to prevent further deterioration of health services.
Block Medical Officer (BMO), Jaisinghpur, Manish Rana said that despite severe manpower constraints, efforts were being made to ensure uninterrupted services. He added that details regarding vacant posts had already been forwarded to the higher authorities.
Meanwhile, Yadvinder Goma has assured people that necessary steps would be taken soon to fill the vacancies and restore smooth functioning of the health centre.
