Budgam, Oct 18: Despite the Government constructed of a New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) building in Budran village of central Kashmir’s Budgam district, the facility is yet to become operational, forcing residents to depend on a makeshift arrangement in two rooms where essential healthcare facilities remain inadequate.
Residents said the construction of the new health centre building began around five years ago. However, despite substantial progress on the project, the facility has not been made functional, leaving patients from Budran and adjoining villages to face difficulties in accessing healthcare services.
Wahid Ahmad, a local resident, told Rising Kashmir that the new building was intended to provide better healthcare facilities to people from the village and its adjoining areas.
“At present, the health centre is functioning in just two rooms, where all the necessary facilities are not available for patients. People are facing considerable difficulties because the new building has not yet been made functional,” he said.
Ahmad said that construction work of the new building has been almost completed, but several essential works were still pending, including the installation of mirrors, provision of a water supply connection, electricity connection and development of the surrounding fencing.
He said the completion of these remaining works could pave the way for the health centre to become operational and provide better medical facilities to the local population.
Another resident, Asrar Ahmad Waza, said the government had established the health centre to ensure that people in the area could access medical treatment closer to home.
“If the government has already spent a substantial amount of money on the construction of the new health centre building, why has it not been made functional yet?” he asked.
Waza urged the authorities to take immediate steps to complete the pending works and
ensure that the facility becomes operational at the earliest.
“The government must take into consideration the difficulties faced by the people and complete all the remaining work. Proper healthcare facilities should be made available so that residents can benefit from the new health centre Building,” he said.
Block Medical Officer Dr Mustaq Ahmad Mir said the new health centre building had not yet been handed over to the Health Department.
“We hope that the building will be handed over to the Health Department very soon,” he said.
