Keonjhar: The health department has put in place digital dispensaries at eight places to ensure quality healthcare to poor people in remote areas of tribal-dominated Keonjhar district.
Sadly, the digital dispensaries funded by the District Mineral Foundation (DMF), have been lying defunct for shortage of medicines while shortage of doctors has paralysed services at primary health centres in the district, a report said.
People had a lot of hopes about availing healthcare services when digital dispensaries were launched in the district. Various outfits were saddened at the sorry state of dispensaries and said that the project has been a joke on the face of the poor people. Lakhs of rupees spent on the project has gone down the drains, they added.
Such dispensaries are meant to provide healthcare and medicines free of cost to patients in consultation with doctors through video conferencing.
All the dispensaries have been handed over to a private agency while lakhs of rupees are being paid from the DMF towards the salaries of the staff and other infrastructure expenses every month.
Social activists blamed the administration for the sorry state of affairs. No monitoring system has been put in place for the project’s proper functioning.
Locals alleged that for the last three months, medicines are not available at dispensaries in tribal-dominated pockets like Brahmanipal and Tangiapal under Harichandanpur block. Patients come to the dispensaries by spending on bus fares, but have to return frustrated every day.
“The staffers at the dispensaries are getting salaries without any work while the number of patients has declined,” lamented Premananda Das, a social activist.
CDMO Dr Ashok Das said eight digital dispensaries are running under the supervision of a private agency funded by the DMF.
He admitted that such a state has arisen for shortage of medicines.
The CDMO said that he has talked to the head of the private agency and things will be made normal soon.
