DERGAON, April 8 - Though the State Government is working for changes in functioning of its offices yet the ground reality remains different. Even the Health Department is not functioning properly.
The example of the 30-bed Dergaon Community Health Centre (CHC) is enough. The hospital was established way back in 1988 to help the flood-affected people of Brahmaputra areas to the north of Dergaon town. But the infrastructure of the hospital has remained the same since its inception. Only three posts of doctors including the Deputy Superintendent have been sanctioned so far. But the number of general patients is always increasing along in addition to the special emergency patients coming to the hospital as this is the only referral hospital in the entire greater Dergaon area. As a result, the rift between the hospital authority and the guardians of patients only for not getting the doctors in time.
Recently an awkward situation arose over the death of a patient Bornali Saikia. According to information, no doctor was on duty when the patient was taken to the hospital. Except the Deputy Superintendent, no doctor was present on duty. On being contacted the Deputy Superintendent, Dr Kamal Morang admitted that due to shortage of doctors, proper service to the patients is sometime not possible. He revealed that the three sanctioned posts of doctors including that of the Deputy Superintendent have been filled up. The other two doctors against permanent posts are Dr Ranjit Hazarika and Dr Kalyan Bora. As there are three shifts, i.e., morning, evening and night it is not possible to run the hospital with only three doctors. Though another three doctors namely Dr Gunakanta Doley, Dr Ranjit Bora and Dr Mridul Bartha-kur have been entrusted to perform extra duties in the hospital, but Dr Ranjit Bora, who is engaged under NHM on a contractual basis, is himself a diabetic patient while Dr Mridul Barthakur is the incharge of Dergaon SHC and hence their they cannot contribute their services efficiently. The Deputy Superintendent also opined that due to the private practice of the doctors, the evening shift of the hospital is adversely affected.
Replying to a question about the administration in the hospital, Dr Morang opined that he has failed to manage the doctors as the doctors are not willing to attend the evening shift. He also revealed that though the higher authority has been informed of the matter from time to time, but in vain. On the other hand, several sophisticated apparatus have been supplied to the hospital but they are only stored in the godown from year to year as no specialist doctor is appointed to use them. The Greater Dergaon Consumer Awareness and Protection Forum (GDCAPF) demanded immediate sanctioning of more posts of doctor in the hospital and to appoint doctors against such posts.
