Madhya Pradesh: District health infra tumbles out during planning committee meet

Meghnagar (Madhya Pradesh): A district planning committee meeting chaired by minister-in-charge Inder Singh Parmar was held on Wednesday, wherein BJP MP Guman Singh Damor and MLA Kantilal Bhuriya raised issue of the abysmally poor state of the health infrastructure in Jhabua district.

Damor raised issues of private practice by government doctors, mushrooming of doctors bearing fake degrees whereas MLA Bhuriya put up the incident of death of a patient who sought treatment at an illegal hospital in Ranapur block. Due to private practice by government doctors, patients who come to government hospitals are left with no option but to suffer in absence of doctors.

Some even choose other options/ private hospital for getting treatment, thus placing an unnecessary financial burden on them. Due to non-availability of gynaecologist, women patients who are pregnant or are suffering from gynaecological problems and who come here for ultrasound from nearby areas have to suffer.

Doctors at Thandla and Petlawad government hospitals defying the ban on private practice and charging consultation fee were seen running private clinics at government residence.

Exposing dismal rural health facilities, public representatives showed a stark reality of the district s health infrastructure and refuted claims of CMHO Dr Thakur and civil surgeon Dr Baghel's claims of better health infrastructure. In the absence of routine raids and monitoring by administration/health department officials, a number of illegal hospitals have come up in Ranapur, Meghnagar, Kakanwani, Madrani, Rambhapur, Kalidevi and other remote villages as well.