Kendadangri, Chakulia (East Singhbhum), Nov. 27: Have flu, travel 40km for the nearest doctor in the neighbouring state.
It's a fact of life at Kendadangri village in Chalunia panchayat, Chakulia block in what seems to be one of Jharkhand's developed districts, East Singhbhum, 120km from Jamshedpur.
This morning, a day before all 265 revenue villages of 19 panchayats at Chakulia block vote in the second phase of rural polls, retired schoolteacher Ram Ranjan Mahapatra (63), also a landed farmer with six bighas and by rural standards a well-off man, bristles with anger.
"I'll vote tomorrow but for what?" asked the man who is on extension as Chakulia model school in-charge. "On November 5, when my son Abhijit had cold and flu, I had to take him by train to Jhargram in Bengal to see a doctor. I can even afford to bring a doctor home but there aren't any."
To prove his point, the teacher rattles off numbers. "There are 25 sub-health centres in Chakulia block. All are closed. The community health centre, 15km away from my village, is the bigger hospital, but the main doctor is seldom seen. That's why we go to Bengal where doctors and pathological tests are easily available."
Why not Jamshedpur? "That's too far," he said. "Jhargram is fine for our day-to-day needs. In September, when my wife Bandana had a gastric problem, we took her to Jhargram."
What about poorer villagers? "They make rounds of Chakulia community health centre to try to catch the doctor. They have no choice."
Schoolteacher Kanak Raj (43) of Sujnibasa village, Chakulia, added the block had no good ultrasound or X-ray facility. "Barring sputum test there isn't much provision for other tests (blood, urine, etc) at Chakulia community health centre. Pregnant women go to Bengal for deliveries."
Asked, Chakulia community health centre in-charge Dr Suresh Chandra Mahto claimed either he or his colleague Dr Rajendra Nath Soren was available on rotation. "But I admit we lack infrastructure and enough doctors. Two doctors are not enough for this big facility," he said, further claiming that most sub-health centres did run. "Auxiliary nurses-cum-midwives run them," he said.
East Singhbhum civil surgeon Dr S.K. Jha readily agreed there weren't enough doctors. "But, these complaints will end soon as we expect doctor appointments in December. And, things are getting better. We recently shifted Chakulia community health centre to a new building," he said.
But, Chakulia's sitting zilla parishad member Anita Mahto claimed otherwise. "I raised the issues (absentee doctors, lack of testing facilities) many times during district planning committee meetings. I got assurances from administrative officials that the community health centre would be upgraded but not much improvement took place on the ground."
"Villagers with means can afford to go to Jhargram, but what about the rest?" asked Anita, whose husband Subhendu Mahto is in the fray for zilla parishad membership this time. "We are raising the same issues again. Let's see if it makes any difference."
• Chakulia votes today
