No doctors. No compounders. No supporting staff. No medicines. No maintenance. No matter which of Chandigarh’s 20 dispensaries you visit, the picture is more or less the same. Given the shortage of everything, the curious fact is that daily a typical dispensary will be visited by at least 80 to 100 patients. People wanting treatment are not in short supply.
Basically Chandigarh has two kinds of dispensaries: those that have been under lock for months at a stretch and those that are still open but barely functional.
The dispensaries in Hallomajra, Daddumajra, Sector 8, Sector 20, Manimajra, Maloya, and Industrial Area are all One-Doctor dispensaries. These dispensaries are the envy of Khajeri where the dispensary has No Doctor. The One-Doctor dispensaries at Khajeri, Dadumajra and Hallomajra cater to a population of 25,000 to 35,000.
The dispensaries also function as the family planning centers. At some places, the dispensary is usually locked, nevertheless patients hopefull wait at the door every day. Would-be patients at the Dadumajra dispensary say that they come to the dispensary every day and return if the doctor is missing or the place is locked up.
Hygiene is none too good at these dispensaries. As per the Biomedical Waste Management & Handling) Rules, 1998 medical waste is to be disposed of every day but bins at these dispensaries are overflowing and look like they have not been emptied for a couple days. Some dispensaries working under the municipal corporation (MC) are getting the waste disposed of twice a week while few get it picked once a week which is a blatant violation of the Act.
UT Home Secretary Anil Kumar insists that Chandigarh dispensaries are in good condition compared to the dispensaries in other states. He disclosed said that recruitment of 80 doctors is also on process.
So the dispensaries run by the Municipal Corporation are in good condition compared to dispensaries elsewhere. Comparison can make many things look good. An apple that has a big black spot on it is good compared to an apple that is rotten all the way through.
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