Bhuj: A Poor woman from Dholavira village in the far off eastern Kutch island of Khadir had to give birth to a stillborn baby on Monday as the public health centre (PHC) at the village was found locked. Only recently, a tribal woman had to deliver her baby in the open in the western Kutch town of Nakhatrana as the doors of the two main hospitals, including the government hospital, were closed to her. Three days ago, a newborn baby died when her vomiting and loose motions could not be brought under control as no medical help available at the village PHC.
The village sarpanch Jilubha Sodha said that Hira Arjan Garva, a village labourer, took his pregnant wife, Kavita to the PHC on Monday night when she went into labour. He found the PHC closed. “He was too poor to take her all the way to Rapar, the taluka headquarters of Dholavira some 100 kms away. Moreover, there was no time, and hence they decided to go to the village PHC. Kavita did give birth to her baby, but it was stillborn,” Sodha said.
“The entire village is angry as the two incidents occurred for want of medical facility. When I telephoned the chief district health officer (CDHO) Dabhi, instead of sympathising with us, he blamed us for a recent incident where an angry patient allegedly manhandled the PHC head. When we strongly protested against this attitude of his, he simply put down the receiver,” said Sodha
He said that the incident took place a fortnight ago and the patient in question was not at fault. He had gone there for treatment but the compounder, who was drunk, abused him. The doctor was roughed up when he intervened. “Everybody knows that the compounder always remains in an inebriated state. But then, it was the doctor who was transferred to Koyad village with no substitute being sent here. The PHC continues to be locked since then ,” said Sodha. He said that three days ago, an Adivasi couple from outside the village lost their newborn baby suffering from severe vomiting and loose motions, as the PHC was closed. Sodha said the village was sending a detailed memorandum to the district administration and Chief Minister to tell him that his Chiranjivi scheme for the welfare of children was only confined to the papers.
Courtesy: Ahmedabad Newsline - Ahmedabad,India
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