Cuttack: Expressing concern over creaking healthcare at primary, community and other dispensaries in the state, the Orissa Human Rights Commission (OHRC) Tuesday directed the Health secretary and director to submit action-taken report (ATR) within eight weeks.
The directive came in response to a petition filed by rights activist Akhand with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently. The petitioner had submitted as many as 1400 pleas to the apex rights body informing about the creaking healthcare at 1475 healthcare facilities across 30 districts.
The NHRC had registered 316 cases and forwarded those to the OHRC. However, the OHRC’s Tuesday directive came on 20 cases while other cases are yet to be heard. The petitioner had informed the commission that guidelines mandate outpatient departments (OPDs) in the hospitals should remain open for at least six hours a day. But, almost all the primary, community and dispensaries remain open for an hour or two only. The situation is worse in tribal dominated areas where the OPDs remain almost closed during most part of the year.
This apart, the hospitals lack adequate facilities to treat expectant mothers and the newborns. The most worrying fact is lack of drinking water, sanitation and hygiene at these healthcare facilities. Shortage of doctors further aggravates the situation as the benefits of the state government’s initiatives fail to reach the poor patients, the petitioner said.
Lack of infrastructure and equipment at these healthcare facilities forces poor patients to visit SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, MKCG Medical College in Berhampur and VIMSAR in Burla.
Akhand had urged the commission to direct the state government to take steps for ensuring better the healthcare at primary, community and dispensaries. This apart, the state government should regularly monitor the hospital’s state of affairs on a daily basis, the petitioner urged.
PNN
