Balurghat, Nov. 12: At a time when government hospitals across the state have come under fire, the Revolutionary Youth Federation (RYF) — youth wing of the RSP — has trained its guns on health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra.

In a scathing attack on the health minister, RSP MP and RYF leader Ranen Barman said the healthcare system, under the leadership of Mishra, has “virtually collapsed”.

Addressing a day-long demonstration organised by the RYF at Balapur primary health centre, the youth leader said the condition of rural health centres was “abysmally poor”.

“Rural health centres do not have the minimum infrastructure to meet growing needs,” he said.

Barman threatened to launch a continuous movement against the alleged “apathetic” attitude towards the healthcare system. The RYF chose Balapur primary health centre, close to the MP’s native village, as a weapon to launch their tirade.

“Even a decade ago, the health centre had adequate number of doctors and nurses. It also had beds for indoor patients. Now that is no more. Since no doctors and nurses stay here, the quarters are crumbling down,” district secretary of the RYF Debasish Chanda said.

The health centre now has a lone doctor who commutes from Balurghat. “He is a habitual absentee. Patients who come from far-flung areas return home after waiting hours for the doctor,” Chanda alleged.

“The Left Front’s declared policy was to ensure health for all. We shall launch movements to transform the declared policy into practice. But no one should think that we are opposing the Left Front. We are fighting from within to keep our election pledges,” Barman said.

Chief medical officer of health Subir Bhowmick said he had “heard about the mass demonstration” of the RYF at Balapur health centre but added that no one had submitted any memorandum to him.

Bhowmick said four block hospitals — at Harirampur, Kushmandi, Tapan and Kumarganj — were being “upgraded” with funds from Nabard. The number of beds will be raised from 15 to 30. New beds will be introduced in seven of the 20 primary health centres in the district, Bhowmick said.

Meanwhile, diarrhoea has affected more than 10,000 people in Tapan, Kumarganj and Gangarampur blocks, health department sources said. Bhowmick, however, said no deaths have been reported so far.