missing in action: The locked Patilar primary health centre in Bagaha. Doctors hardly visit the centre twice a week. Picture by Nikhil Mishra

Healthcare services in Uttar Pradesh come to the help of Bihar residents where government primary health centres (PHCs) and additional public health centres (APHCs) in rural areas are found to have done precious little.

Residents of villages under Piprasi block are often forced to rush to a hospital in Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh for medical assistance because doctors are seldom available at the block PHC and it remains shut most of the time.

Piprasi block, with a population of around 26,000, comprises six panchayat. The condition of most of the PHCs and APHCs are miserable in this district, where patients never get medical services in time, but the condition of PHC in Piprasi block is the worst.

Mania Chhapar village in this block received negative attention because of a child’s death recently. The boy died of diarrhoea for want of a doctor at the Piprasi PHC. Dom Sahni, the victim’s grandfather, rushed the child to the bordering Padrauna town in Uttar Pradesh, but his efforts went in vain because he was declared brought dead.

According to residents, most of the time, the PHC remains under lock. Sahni told The Telegraph the condition has been the same for the past six months.

Reports said the PHC had even distributed expired medicines among patients. Bagaha sub-divisional magistrate Rajiv Kumar Singh had lodged an FIR against Haridwar Ram, a Grade IV employee of this PHC, when he caught him distributing expired medicines among patients in the absence of any doctor during his visit to the PHC on May 13 last year. Though Ram was released on bail, the investigation of the case is still on, said a report.

The villagers said the foundation of this PHC was laid in 2009, but they have not received any benefit from it ever. Similar is the situation of the Patilar PHC under Bagaha, where the doctor hardly visits once or twice a week, said villagers.

After his Nyaya Yatra, chief minister Nitish Kumar began his Vikas Yatra from Patilar (Bagaha), and Vishwas Yatra from Valmikinagar in West Champaran district on January 19, 2009 and in April 2010 respectively. The doctor-in-charge of Madhubani PHC, Anil Kumar, also in-charge of the Piprasi PHC, told The Telegraph apart from a dental surgeon and an A-grade nurse, this PHC is without any allotment because of which the distribution of medicines has been completely stopped.

Kamlesh Kushwaha, a resident under Manjhariya panchayat area, told The Telegraph the patients have no option but to rush to Padrauna in Uttar Pradesh for immediate medical aid because neither doctors nor medicines were available at Piprasi PHC. On the other hand, Dinesh Kumar Pandey, Rajesh Tiwari and Gyan Chandra said most of the PHCs function only on paper.

Meanwhile, Rajiv Kumar Singh has apprised the district magistrate and health department officials in writing on the condition prevailing in the PHCs concerned. Despite repeated attempts, West Champaran civil surgeon Dr Kumkum Prasad could not be contacted.

Pictures by Nikhil Mishra from Bagaha