Residents Demand Better Infrastructure and Facilities at PHC Campbell Bay

Campbell Bay, Dec 02 2020

Primary Health Centre, Campbell Bay is the premier goto health facility in the Great Nicobar Island for its 8000 residents, the floating population of construction workers, Govt. Servants and everyone who steps foot on the Island. 

The treatment at PHC Campbell Bay is often lauded as the doctors as well as other health care staffs always do their best to offer quality treatment with limited diagnostic facilities and scarce resources. 

The residents of Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar, however, face several issues at PHC, Campbell Bay especially when they are treated there as an in-patient. These issues are mostly because of the lack of infrastructure or maintenance and have nothing to do with treatment. The treatment received is often lauded by the residents. 

Nicobar Times has received several inputs from the residents of Great Nicobar about the defunct Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System of PHC Campbell Bay. Several residents have complained that the in-patients at the PHC are suffering every day because of non-availability of potable drinking water in the hospital. In-patients usually ask their relatives and attenders to get water for them from home. Sources have also informed that it has been almost eight months since the R.O Water Purifier has had developed problems, but it has not been repaired yet.

Some of the In-patients have also complained that there is a common toilet for the T.B Ward and the General Ward of the hospital, which is very concerning as the general patients and the T.B patients both use the same toilet, which could result in the spread of the disease.

Our sources have also informed us about the shortage of funds for  minor routine maintenance at PHC Campbell Bay, because of which the staffs of the health care facility pool in funds from their salaries every month to carry out minor works, which is very unfortunate since these staffs of PHC Campbell Bay are Corona Warriors from the remotest district of India. These staffs should be lauded for their service and needs to be given bonuses, instead of facing a shortage of funds for minor maintenance in their premier health care institution. The staffs should also be lauded for their commitment to serve, as they are incurring expenses out of their own pockets for the convenience of the patients. 

The health care workers at Campbell Bay are also deputed for the house to house surveillance, to monitor the health of the residents of the Island. These staffs who are deputed for the house to house surveillance or any other outdoor activity are often, seen walking to perform their duties in the scorching sun and even during heavy rains. Campbell Bay has its small population spread over a large area, and these health care workers are also seen hiring autorickshaws to reach their destinations out of their meagre salary. There is an urgent need to provide vehicles to those health care workers who are put on the house to house surveillance duty or any other outdoor activity.

COVID-19 has reiterated the importance of developing good health care institutions and having well trained and qualified health care workers, but we also need to learn to respect them and give them the facilities they deserve to treat the patients properly. 

The Directorate of Health Services, Andaman and Nicobar Administration and the District Administration of Nicobar District should ensure that proper funds are available with all the Primary Health Centres and other Health Care Institutions in the district so that they can give proper care to the patients. Further, there is an urgent need to repair the R.O Water Purifier at PHC Campbell Bay, which should be done without any loss of time since the in-patients at the hospital suffer a lot due to non-availability of potable drinking water in the hospital. The health department should allow access of vehicles to health care workers for the house to house surveillance as PHC Campbell Bay has multiple vehicles and one can, without doubt, be spared for these healthcare workers.