VASCO: Six months ago, the health officer of the Cansaulim Primary Health Centre (PHC) wrote a confidential letter to the Director of Health Services with a plea to look into the issues faced by the PHC staff, which was shifted to an old, congested premises in Arossim two years ago in view of the proposed construction and upgrading of the PHC.
Health Officer Dr Vijaya Harlankar’s plea was to look into the issues of space constraints and lack of facilities. However, nothing has been done to provide relief to the staff, which has been facing extreme hardships due to improper facilities and lack of amenities.
The extent of hardships can be gauged from the fact that the female staff is forced to use the semi-open corridors of the old building as a changing room, thereby risking their privacy. The health centre also has a common toilet for patients and the staff, and power cuts have become a regular affair.
“With the available infrastructure facilities, we manage to provide the best services to the people visiting the health centre, but we are helpless to resolve the issues faced by the staff, especially the female employees who change clothes in a semi-opened corridor, which is also used as a kitchen,” said Harlankar.
The other major issues faced by the PHC staff are the irregular water supply and erratic power supply. A nurse, on condition of anonymity, stated, “The taps runs dry in the morning, due to which using the lone common toilet becomes difficult. Similarly, the ventilation inside the health centre is very poor. There is also no place to eat, and so the staff has to eat lunch in the corridors.”
Another staff nurse stated, “The issues faced by staffs as well as patients are never-ending. What is more worrying is that there is no access for wheelchairs and stretchers inside the casualty room. During emergencies, we have to take the casualty equipment out in corridors to attend to patients. It is a sorry state of affairs and needs to be corrected.”
It not only the PHC staff, but also the residents of Cortalim who have been facing hardships ever since the PHC was shifted to Arossim from Cansaulim.
