Pernem Taluka has two health centres, the community health centre Tuem in Mandrem Constituency and the primary health centre Purva, Casarwadnem in Pernem Constituency.
The primary health centre of Tuem was recently upgraded to a community health centre. The previous building was in a dilapidated condition and the Health Department spent Rs 3.66 cr for its upgradation. However, it still lacks many basic facilities, say sources. Without a medical officer for the past five years, the patients are often referred to nearby hospitals.
This centre also lacks a full time radiologist and a technician to operate Ultra sound machines. The part-time radiologist works only twice a week forcing the patients either to wait or to visit the District Hospital Mapusa. The centre also does not have a pathology department and a blood bank.
The Tuem centre neither has an orthopaedic surgeon nor an anaesthesiologist. The gynaecologist is available only twice a week. The only general physician available handles the regular outdoor patients as well as the casualty department, making the patients who come for regular check-ups to wait for long hours.
The Primary health centre at Purva, Casarwadnem is catering to the entire Pernem constituency but lacks basic facilities. Hence the patients prefer to go either to Tuem Health Centre or directly to District Hospital Mapusa. The centres lacks basic facilities such as sphygmomanometer (to check blood pressure), glucose meter (to check sugar). Shortage of medicine is also another problem here.
The centre does not have a full time gynaecologist for the last 20 years forcing the pregnant ladies to travel 20-30 kms to consult a doctor at the District Hospital Mapusa. Some villagers cannot afford to pay for the taxis to visit Mapusa, sources said.
The centre also lacks Orthopaedic doctor and the patient is referred to health centre Tuem or District Hospital in Mapusa. Also there is shortage of servants to keep the hospital clean. Shortage of nurses, ward boys and servants is another urgent requirement.
The situation of Sub Health Centres is not better than the two primary health centres in Pernem. Sub health centres, which play a role of strengthening health of the people at initial stages, their duty is to cure basic sickness.
Catering to population of 80,000, under the Community Health Centre Tuem there are 12 sub health centres and 3 RDMs and under Primary Health Centre Casarwadnem there are 18 Sub Health Centres.
