Year after inauguration, urban health centre remains underutilised due to staff crunch

The Urban Community Health Centre (UCHC) located inside the Civil Surgeon Office complex was inaugurated by Health Minister Balbir Singh with much fanfare on December 6 last year. Exactly after a year, a visit to the centre was made to check how the UCHC is functioning and whether it has been able to serve its purpose or not.

On the day of its inauguration last year, a few patients from the Civil Hospital were shifted to the centre, who were later again shifted back to their original place due to lack of medical experts. Nothing much has changed after a year. The 10-bed facility was supposed to be upgraded to 30-bed and 24x7 operational.

Since the centre’s inception, it is working with four doctors, who work on a rotational basis, a dentist two nurses and one pharmacist. Though special medical camps were organised at the UCHC but due to lack of specialists, it remains under-utilised.

According to sources, only five patients have been admitted during OPD hours since its opening. X-ray services are available merely three days a week, further limiting diagnostic capabilities.

Patients say the absence of specialists has left them disappointed. “We visit the centre hoping to consult a specialist but are told to go to the Civil Hospital instead. It feels like the building is only for show,” said Ramesh Kumar, a local resident.

Another patient, Sunita Devi, said: “I waited two hours for an X-ray, only to be told it’s not available today. What is the use of such a big centre if basic services aren’t available on a regular basis?”

The UCHC was established following a request by the local MLA, aiming to strengthen the urban healthcare infrastructure. However, the absence of specialists has raised concerns about service delivery and resource utilisation.

The Civil Surgeon, Dr Ramandeep Kaur, said: “Doctors are working on a rotational basis and lab tests are also being done at the centre, which sees a good footfall. In addition, 40-45 patients come to the OPD daily. For running a full-fledged patient admission facility, we need regular staff and specialists. We are hopeful of getting them in the near future.”

She said: “There were many Aam Aadmi Clinics nearby. Hence, patients have ample medical facilities near their places and there was no such problem as non-availability of doctors now.”