Raiyar (Budgam), July 12: While one may wonder what a dentist might make out of gastrointestinal ailments and how would an AYUSH doctor prescribe allopathic medicines, the people here in this godforsaken area of central Kashmir’s Riyar area of district Budgam have no other choice as the PHC has just a dentist and an AYUSH doctor posted here for all patients.
Throwing all rules and regulations to the winds, the doctors, just two of them, at Primary Health Centre, Raiyar, in Khansahib area of Budgam district are treating patients, or atleast claiming to do so, for nearly all health complaints.
Locals allege that despite repeated reminders to the concerned authorities for posting a general physician and a specialist here for the convenience of the masses, no such arrangements have been made as on date while patients are left with no other choice than to assume that the doctors posted here are ‘super humans’ and can treat all patients. “Do we have a choice? When anyone falls ill, whatever be the complaint, we have no way but to take the patient to the PHC despite knowing that we have just a dentist and an AYUSH doctor here,” lamented locals.
In order to verify the claims of the masses here, this reporter visited PHC Raiyar posing as a patient and after purchasing an OPD ticket was sent to see the dentist as the AYUSH doctor was absent from duty. Complaining of abdominal pain, as the reporter approached for consultation, the dentist, without much inquiry, prescribed medicines besides advising a urine test.
While the shock of being treated for abdominal pain by a dentist was still fresh, locals came up with another shock when they revealed that the other who isn’t supposed to prescribe allopathic drugs under the Supreme Court guidelines, had never prescribed Ayurvadic medicine. This was further confirmed by the medical shop outside the hospital which does not sell anything beyond allopathic drugs.
“In today’ times, how you can even think of a negligence of this magnitude. But here it is the reality and our lives are risked for the incompetence and misadministration that plagues the health department here,” lamented Ghulam Qadir Bhat, a Raiyar resident. Besides, the PHC remains open only for a few hours, he added.
People also complained about frequent referrals to the adjacent PHC’s and hospitals stating that there was hardly any sense to set up the PHC here if the administration didn’t want it to function. “Even for minor problems, we are being compelled to visit Khansahib and Budgam hospitals branches,” Reyaz Ahmad, another local complained.
Pertinent to mention that Raiyar PHC caters to the people of Raiyar, Trajkhal, Kralpathri, Rakhya, Googithaj, Machpora, Khospora and other adjacent villages. Most of the people of these villages visit Raiyar PHC and often find themselves stuck with no speciality offered here.
Locals here blame Block Medical Officer (BDO) Khansahib and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Budgam for the mess. “We have already informed the concerned authorities about the healthcare issues but no action was taken suggesting that our lives didn’t matter,” they said.
While CMO Budgam didn’t respond to numerous calls, the BMO, Dr Masroor Hussain Rizvi said, “I will look into the matter and inquire. ”
