For the last eight years, the residents of Chanapora are moving from pillar to post for the upgradation of the Primary Health Centre (PHC) Chanapora in Srinagar city.
However, nothing much is being done by the Jammu and Kashmir government, which has forced the health centre to run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Former Minister Sham Lal Sharma laid the foundation of the hospital in May 2012. In the year 2014, the hospital was made functional. In Covid-19 too, the hospital was used as a Covid Centre and many believed that PHC Chanapora will be upgraded to Sub-District Hospital.
“We have been fighting this battle for the last eight years. We have knocked on the door of every officer be it in administration or in the health department. But, we have not received any response from them”, said Nazir Ahamd, a local resident.
“There is enough facility to turn this PHC Chanapora into a Sub-District Hospital. However, it has been operating much like a government office, which is causing huge trouble to patients. It was functional during Covid-19, there were several machines here, but we are being told that those machines have been brought back, which has brought tough times to us”, he added.
Believe if this PHC Chanapora is upgraded to Sub-District Hospital, it will cater for patients from both Srinagar and Budgam districts. We were told that this 50 bedded PHC will be upgraded to 200 bedded Sub District Hospital, but the authorities are not making any move, said Adil Bhat, another resident.
“My mother was not feeling well another day. I had to shift my mother to SMHS for treatment. See, how unfortunate are we that despite having a PHC which could have been upgraded to Sub District Hospital way back? We have to transport patients to other hospitals in the city”, he added.
Through Brighter Kashmir, we the resident of Chanapora and the adjacent area urge Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's administration to upgrade PHC Chanapora without any delay, they said.
Meanwhile, a senior government official in the health department said, “The Director of Health Services Kashmir Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Rather has already cleared to the locals that the upgradation of PHC Chanapora will be done as per the norms set by the government of India. Further, it will be decided based on the population whether the health centre is upgraded to Sub District Hospital or this is another way”.