Rural Health Care In Shambles: One ISM Doctor For Six Villages In Pulwama

Pulwama: One ISM (Indian System of Medicine) Doctor is catering to six villages of pulwama district.

ISM Dispensary located in Mughalpora village of pulwama where a single ISM pharmacist caters around fifteen thousand population.

Inhabitants of Mugalpora village said from 2004 ISM Dispensary is working in village but in a rented building which lacks basic facilities and infrastructure.

They added it is lone health centre in around six villages of the area where near about 20 thousand people depends on it including villages like Nowhara, Payer Malpora and Maspuna.

Mudasir Ahmad a resident said dispensary has three rooms and rented building a single doctor is available for 15 thousand people who maximum times were absent in month and is not capable to treat people excluding first aid cough,fever etc.which the large population depends on district hospital pulwama which is 5 km away from village.

He added that despite absent most of the time on duty we complain to authorities and wants replace of a doctor no attention was given to the village which people of the area has suffered problems.

Another resident said, “There is only some ISM medicines available in dispensary and only treated some minor after that a patient has been shifted to District Hospital
Mugalpora is a village around 5 kilometers from district headquarters consisting of around 5 hundred households”.

When contacted Dr. Z. A Shah, Assistant District Medical Officer ISM for Pulwama said the dispensary is not permanent.

“We will take up the issue with higher authorities and manage a doctor to provide relief for people,” he said.

Story: Mudasir Maqbool
(The INS)