Negligence and Mismanagement Plague Rural Health Centers in BandiporaNegligence and Mismanagement Plague Rural Health Centers in Bandipora Residents of Bandipora district have raised concerns over the abysmal state of rural health centers, citing severe administrative issues and an alarming lack of proper supervision. According to local reports, health workers are routinely neglecting their duties, taking unauthorized leave, and leaving communities without essential health services. One resident claimed that “workers often do not show up at the centers until 11:30 a.m., and in some areas, only one staff member is available to assist.” The absence of Ministry of Health oversight in remote regions has further exacerbated the problem, leaving rural residents to fend for themselves despite significant government funding allocated to rural health care. Allegations abound that over a dozen health workers, including MLHPs, are contributing to the chaos by exploiting loopholes and ignoring attendance regulations. Primary Health Centres also face the issue of absenteeism among doctors, compromising healthcare delivery in rural areas. Residents have appealed to the Lieutenant Governor to intervene promptly, enforce the ban on attachments, and ensure strict measures to hold health workers accountable. The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has vowed to address the issue, but the Block Medical Officer (BMO) has failed to act on repeated directives, indicating a disregard for orders. As the situation remains unresolved, rural communities continue to suffer from inadequate healthcare due to the negligence and mismanagement of health workers. The promises made by officials have yet to materialize into tangible improvements, leaving residents with little hope for a swift resolution.
Suhail rather
Bandipora, July 14 (KNS): Rural health centres in Bandipora district are facing serious administrative problems and lack of proper supervision. Many local residents report that health workers neglect their duties or take unauthorised leave, leaving the community without essential health services.
According to KNS Correspondent, residents said that these centers are often closed and when they are open, there is only one staff member available to assist. It has been noted that workers often do not show up at the centers until 11:30 a.m. In some areas, if there are three assigned workers, one is on duty while the other two are enjoying their time at home.
In the most remote parts of Bandipora, there is no Ministry of Health oversight, leaving the rural population to fend for themselves. Despite significant government funding for rural health care, the lack of effective monitoring and administrative control at the block level has left many health services dysfunctional.
In addition, there are serious allegations that more than a dozen health workers, including MLHPs, are exacerbating the problems of absenteeism and mismanagement. Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel. Many doctors in Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are also not attending regularly, which has serious implications for healthcare in rural areas.
Residents urged the Lt. Governor to take immediate action against the health officials in charge and enforce the ban on attachments, which is reportedly being ignored. They called for strict measures to ensure accountability and regular attendance of health workers.
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has promised to address the issue as a matter of priority. He stated that the Block Medical Officer (BMO) has been directed to ensure daily attendance of employees to maintain punctuality. However, multiple calls and meetings of this reporter with the BMO Bandipora have not yielded any fruitful results on ground, indicating disregard of orders from senior officials by the employees.
It remains to be seen how these commitments will translate into meaningful action, as rural communities continue to face inadequate health care due to the negligence of health workers. (KNS)
