Semiliguda: In a shocking incident, medicines worth thousands of rupees were found thrown in a cremation ground, adjacent to a hill located behind the Community Health Centre at Kunduli, Monday.
These medicines were supposed to be given to the needy patients under the state government’s Niramaya Yojana — a scheme for free distribution of medicines to the patients of government hospitals, CHCs and dispensaries in the state.
Koraput being a tribal populated district, the state government has implemented various schemes and programmes to provide the tribals with better healthcare facilities. The Niramaya Yojana is one such programme.
Ironically, when the patients coming to the CHC are not getting medicines, as prescribed to them, from the Niramaya counter, medicines worth thousands of rupees were discarded.
The medicines were burnt in the cremation ground, adjacent to a hill behind the health centre. This clearly exposes the irresponsibility and negligence of the health centre authorities, locals said.
Reacting to this, medical officer, Arun Kumar Padhi, said, “Hundreds of patients are coming to the health centre every day from Kunduli and its surrounding areas for treatment. However, they are misusing the medicines which are given to them and leave those in abandoned places. Anyway, we will probe into the matter and take stringent action, if anyone is found guilty.”
PNN