Shahkot health centre waits for upgrade to civil hospital

Phagwara, February 6

Over 26 years have passed since Shahkot was accorded the status of a subdivision, but the town still waits for the upgrade of the health centre to a civil hospital.

The Shahkot community health centre (CHC), the 30-bed community health centre built is catering to residents of the town and adjoining rural areas. The money sought from the Punjab Government for a new building and upgrade to a 50-bed civil hospital has not been received so far.

Sources said the government prepared a proposal in 2013 to construct a 50-bed hospital at Shahkot and medical authorities submitted all details, but the proposal is still pending. The government had earlier posted specialists instead of medical officers, including a surgeon, medical specialist, eve surgeon, paediatrician, gynaecologist and dental surgeon, who gradually left for other stations. Now the Health Department has posted three medical officers after protests by locals.

Expecting mothers are referred to the Jalandhar Civil Hospital as the CHC has no scanning machine. Due to the rush, two days are required for the scan at the Civil Hospital.

Similarly, the CHC has no laparoscopic machine for surgery and a phaco machine for conducting contact lens surgery. The local people are upset at the fact that the government has failed to upgrade the CHC to a civil hospital due to which patients are being referred to Nakodar and Jalandhar.