2 months on, Ayushman clinic running from gurdwara
Two months have passed since the Ayushman Arogya Kendra at Chowni Mohalla was gutted in a fire, but no repair work has been carried out, leaving the patients and staff in the lurch. As a result, the clinic is being run from the premises of a nearby gurdwara.
On February 7, a fire broke out at the health centre due to a short circuit and it had taken two fire engines to douse the flames. The interior of the clinic was burnt. The fire had destroyed an air conditioner, a refrigerator and a large number of medicines. The gypsum boards on the false ceiling melted and the frames of windows and drawers also turned out of shape in the incident.
The clinic was burnt so badly that it was not possible to run the clinic from its original location. Initially, the staff worked while sitting outside the clinic. Later, they shifted to a nearby gurdwara and since then the clinic is being run from its hall only. Samples for tests are taken in the hall and medicines are dispensed to patients.
However, the working conditions are tough. With no drinking water facility, no power back-up, no washroom facility and no air conditioner, the staff of the clinic has been working in a difficult setting. Recently, the employees got few fans installed in the hall while paying from their own pocket.
“Summer season is on and it is very difficult to run the clinic from the hall as there is no facility of drinking water. What to talk about air conditioning, we ourselves got the fans installed a few days ago. It was supposed to be a makeshift arrangement, but has continued for two months now. With no washroom facility, not only staff, even the patients who have to give urine sample face a lot of inconvenience,” said Dr Prashant Kanwar, incharge of the clinic.
Many patients fail to locate the clinic and had to return without consulting the doctor. Earlier, 100-150 patients visited the OPD of this clinic every day. The patient footfall has come down significantly since the displacement of the clinic.
“The district Health Department has asked us to operate from here till the clinic is repaired. It has already sent a proposal to the head office. We are just waiting for the renovation work to start,” said one of the staff members.
Since many devotees visit the gurdwara, information about the clinic being run from its hall is being spreading around by the word of mouth. People are gradually coming to know about the new location.
Kanta Rani, a patient, said she went to the clinic twice but returned after seeing the burnt premises. “After a few days, one of my neighbours told me about the clinic having been temporarily shifted here. So I came here today,” she said.
“My medicines were due and I could not get them from the clinic. It was only when I came to this gurdwara that I came to know that it is being run from here,” said another patient.
The staff rued that there were space constraints as well. They said it was a makeshift arrangement and the department should get the burnt clinic repaired at the earliest for the convenience of the patients and the employees alike.
