Ahmedgarh residents hail health centre upgrade, push for more staff

Residents of the town and about forty nearby villages, falling in Malerkotla and Ludhiana districts, hailed the state government nod to upgrading the Community Health Centre here to a 50-bed sub-divisional hospital.

However, they urged that before the upgraded facility is commissioned, the authorities must take appropriate measures to address the staffing issues.

Locals expressed gratitude to local MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra and Municipal Council president Vikas Krishan Sharma.

The Community Health Centre here has been the lone facility for patients from the town and more than 40 nearby villages for almost two decades. In this time, the facility has faced multiple issues.

Among the main issues have been staff crunch and frequent transfers of doctors.

Binder Dehlon, a social activist, said, “Though the health centre had been equipped with modern equipment, they were underused due to lack of technical staff. Most of the posts of medical officers and specialists were unfulfilled due to a shortage at the state level."

Residents alleged that successive governments, including those led by the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), failed to address the issues.

Local authorities said they made repeated requests for filling of the vacant posts but no concrete steps were taken by senior functionaries in the Health Department.

According to the locals, the staff situation was never “satisfactory” in the past two decades and the Senior Medial Officers (SMOs) found it an uphill task to cater to the people amid acute shortage of specialists, medical officers, paramedical staff, technicians and drivers.

“I have been in touch with authorities at health centre here and elsewhere in the region as well. I know that staff shortage has been a persistent hindrance in smooth functioning of these institutes,” said MC chief Sharma.

He added that MLA Gajjanmajra had discussed the issue with the minister concerned and officers in the Health Department, who asserted that the upgraded hospital will be equipped with necessary facilities, along with adequate staff, before inauguration.

According to the records, the tehsildar and Ahmedgarh MC executive officer had been advised to identify additional 10,000 sq-feet land for expansion of the healthcare centre.

The state Principal Secretary had announced in-principle approval to the proposed 50-bed facility a fortnight ago.