BUDGAM: While the government is strengthening the health care system across Kashmir valley to fight with Covid-19, the New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) at Chewdara village in Beerwah tehsil, Budgam district, is still without a doctor for the past 11 months.
This is the only health centre for seven villages including Chewdara, Ohangam, Meerpora, Wanihuma, Chak, Machama and Dragar, which together have a population of more than fifteen-thousand.
Locals from these villages said that the doctor at the health centre was attached to JLNM Hospital in Srinagar 11 months ago, and since then patient care has been seriously affected.
They said that due to lockdown and ban on public transport, people are not able to travel to other hospitals and are wholly dependent upon this health centre.
Rameez Ahmad Zargar, a resident of Chewdara village, told Kashmir Reader that no new doctor has been posted at the health centre in the past 11 months.
“On April 16, the Health and Medical Education department issued order no. 375-JK (HME) of 2020, in which 142 doctors across the Kashmir valley were deployed for Covid-19 duty on temporary basis for a period of three months, in which the name of the doctor of our health centre at Chewdara was also mentioned at serial no.130,” Zargar informed.
He said that it was mentioned in that order that all the doctors shall continue to draw their salaries at the existing place of posting and attendance certificate will be issued by the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir. Zargar pointed out that if the doctor was attached to a hospital in another district 11 months ago, his name should not have been mentioned in this order.
Another resident of Chewdara, Showkat Ahmad, said, “In absence of the doctor at the health centre, patients are forced to go to the sub-district hospital in Beerwah for treatment and during emergency.”
He said the health department was playing with the lives of patients by not sending another doctor to the health centre. “We have approached the officials concerned from time to time, but no one is paying any heed to this basic and important demand of the people, who are facing many problems especially during this lockdown period,” Ahmad said.
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Beerwah, Dr Javeed Ahmad, told Kashmir Reader that he will look into the matter and will send a doctor to the health centre soon.

ARIF RASHID