The government dispensary in Chandmari. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

April 1: The Kamrup (metropolitan) district administration has decided to upgrade four dispensaries in the city following widespread criticism over the deplorable condition of government-owned health centres.

The West Guwahati dispensary at Santipur, East Guwahati dispensary at Chandmari and government dispensaries at Garigaon and Natboma near Hatigaon will be upgraded in the 2005-06 fiscal. Residents of West Guwahati, comprising Bharalumukh, Bhutnath and Maligaon, had been demanding that the administration improve the condition of the dispensary in their locality.

Kamrup (metropolitan) joint director of health service K.C. Sarma said approximately Rs 1 crore would be spent on the renovation of each dispensary, including development of infrastructure and healthcare facilities.

The administration has also planned to shift the dispensaries at Santipur and Chandmari to new buildings because both remain waterlogged after a smart shower.

The West Guwahati dispensary is currently operating from a rented house, which is in a dilapidated state. The one at Chandmari has been suffering from similar conditions like temporarily functioning from a house provided by the Assam Engineering Institute.

?If we can develop the dispensaries, people of these areas will not have to rush to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital or private nursing homes in case of minor ailments. If everything goes according to plan, the refurbished health centres can deal with immunisation as well as maternity cases,? Sarma said.

The dispensaries were providing little service to the people because shortage of manpower and non-availability of medicines have crippled them.

However, the district administration hoped that renovation of these health centres, under the second phase of the central reproductive and childcare programme, would drastically change the scenario.

As permanent recruitment would involve a lot of expenditure, the administration had proposed to recruit staff on contract to cope with the manpower crisis, Sarma said. The proposal has been sent to Dispur for consideration at the highest level.

The European Commission-funded maternity hospital at Dhirenpara has been a prime example of the government?s indifferent attitude towards the public sector healthcare facilities. The hospital, which was inaugurated on January 11, has not started functioning because the PWD did not build the drainage system.