Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 14 August 2024
The Health Department of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration has come under fire for its continued failure to provide a nutritious and balanced diet to in-patients at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Campbell Bay. For over two years, patients undergoing treatment at the facility have been subsisting on a monotonous diet of rice and dal, raising serious concerns about their recovery.
A recent report by Nicobar Times highlighted the plight of these patients, revealing how the compassionate doctors and staff at the PHC had been dipping into their own pockets to occasionally supplement the patients’ diet with vegetables, fish, chicken, and eggs. This ad-hoc arrangement, however, was unsustainable, and the Health Department’s negligence has led to further hardships for those already in vulnerable conditions.
The situation has sparked a grassroots response from local youth in Great Nicobar. T. Shiva Raj, Papa Rao, G. Koteshwar Rao, and Nitin Kerketta took matters into their own hands, launching a community initiative to provide the essential food items that the Health Department has failed to supply. The group began by contributing fish, chicken, eggs, and vegetables to the PHC, coordinating daily with the staff to understand the patients’ dietary needs.
Word of their efforts quickly spread, and soon the wider community rallied behind the cause. Donations of both goods and small amounts of money started pouring in, enabling the group to consistently supply the PHC with the necessary provisions. What began as a small act of kindness has now evolved into a significant community campaign, ensuring that patients at PHC Campbell Bay receive a balanced and nutritious diet.
Despite the substantial budgetary support the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) receives from the Government of India, it has failed to fulfill its duty to provide patients with adequate nutrition. In stark contrast, these young volunteers, without any official backing, have stepped up to bridge the gap, successfully delivering not only vegetables, fish, chicken, and eggs but also bread to the PHC.
The community’s actions have put a spotlight on the Health Department’s negligence, urging it to wake up from its “deep slumber” and take immediate corrective measures. There is a growing demand for the DHS to ensure that all PHCs, Community Health Centres (CHCs), and hospitals across the region are consistently supplied with the provisions necessary to offer patients a balanced diet.
The efforts of these local youth have not only provided much-needed relief to the patients of PHC Campbell Bay but have also served as a powerful reminder of the importance of community solidarity in the face of administrative failures. The onus is now on the Health Department to rectify its shortcomings and restore faith in the healthcare system.