The lone public health facility of Sindri, Community Health Centre, situated at Gaushala Bazar is lying in extremely bad shape due to lack of seating arrangements, drinking water facility and other amenities.

More than 1 lakh residents of Sindri and adjoining areas have been deprived of any other medical facility since the closure of the 205-bed FCI hospital in 2003.

Talking to The Telegraph Online on Sunday, Narendra Bhai Joshi, a tile shop owner and social worker of Sindri said, “Such is the situation in CHC that the nurses working in the hospital are compelled to work in inhuman condition due to lack of proper ceiling fans and are even deprived of drinking water facility.”

“Though, a lady doctor occasionally visits here from the Community Health Centre of Jharia at Chasnala but even nurses are not regular in duty at the centre due to lack of basic facilities at the hospital,” said Joshi.

“Even proper lighting arrangement is not there at the site where Covid vaccination is being carried out causing great difficulty to the beneficiaries as well as nurses and computer operators,” elaborated Joshi and added that when complained about the state of affairs to Dr Pratima Dutta in Charge of Chasnala based Community Health Centre about absence of doctors she expressed her helplessness as appointment of doctors is not made at centre.

The situation of another Health Sub Centre situated near Bara Gurudwara at Saharpura is also similar as it is deprived of doctors and other basic infrastructure.

Rajkishor Sao, a road side restaurant owner of Gaushala Bazar said, “The condition of Health Centre having magnificent single storey building infrastructure comprising over 20 rooms is a glaring example of mismanagement of resources.”

“While the Community Health Centre of Chasnala is operating from a congested space the Community Health Centre of Gaushala despite endowed with such a spacious building is lying useless due to the lack of staff and other facilities while Sindri residents are compelled to visit distant Dhanbad situated 25 km from here for attending to medical exigencies,” said Munna Giri a tea stall owner of Gaushala Bazar area of Sindri.

Dr Pratima Dutta, Medical officer in Charge of Jharia who is also the in charge of Gaushala Bazar based Community Health Centre said, “We have written to the district administration as well as government several times earlier for the appointment of doctors and other staff at the CHC Gaushala Bazar but no step has so far been taken either for the appointment of doctors or other staff and also for the beefing up other facilities like seating arrangements etc.”