Residents Demand Immediate Establishment of Healthcare Sub Centre in Lal Pahad to Address Rural Health Needs

Rabindranath Biswas
Sri Vijaya Puram, Nov. 05: A Sub Centre in a rural area is supposed to provide healthcare services to the people living in the area. However, local residents claim that the apathy of the A & N Administration and healthcare officials has affected the establishment of a Sub Centre in Lal Pahad village under Gram Panchayat Chouldari.
According to information, there was a Sub Centre close to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Chouldari. However, when the old Sub Centre reached a derelict condition, it finally became reportedly non-functional. Since then, there was a continual demand from the residents of Lal Pahad that the Sub Centre be shifted to Lal Pahad and is newly established there.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, Smti Tapashi Saha, Pradhan, Gram Panchayat Chouldari said that the Sub Centre in question was very close to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Chouldari; furthermore, major part of the patients seeking health service at this Sub Centre used to come from Lal Pahad. Hence, if the Sub Centre is shifted to Lalpahad, it would be convenient for pregnant women and kids of the area, she said. Taking up the matter, the Pradhan reportedly wrote a letter to the Secretary (Health), A & N Administration, Port Blair about a year ago. Smti Saha then wrote a letter to the Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman and apprised the authority of problems and the dire need of the Sub Centre to be shifted to Lal Pahad.
Lal Pahad is located in the rural area under GP Chouldari with a population of approximately 1500. Villagers face significant challenges in accessing health care services owing to lack of essential healthcare facilities in the area, she informed the DC. As a result, there was an urgent need to establish a Sub Centre at a suitable location in Lal Pahad to meet the healthcare requirement of the villagers effectively, she emphasized.
The proposed Sub Centre at Lal Pahad would act as a primary healthcare provider, aiming to provide basic medical services, preventive care, health promotion, and health education to the community. In fact, it would also serve as an interface between the proposed Sub Centre and PHC/CHC and will play a pivotal role in improving the health and well-being of the villagers and would help alleviate their reliance on distant hospitals and clinics, she further added.
She then urged the DC to grant/allot a piece of land in Lal Pahad and its set apart for the establishment of the Sub Centre. Subsequently, the matter further advanced following her pursuance of the project, and a joint inspection of the proposed site was reportedly done in presence of the Pradhan and the concerned area JE in 2023.
The Research Officer (Plg.) DHS sounded positive and he even reportedly advocated for a PHC there and requested the Executive Engineer, CD-III, APWD, Prothrapur to prepare a layout plan of the HWC/SC on the proposed site and also furnish a tentative cost for development of site excluding building cost to take a decision/further course of action for construction of HWC/SC at that location, she said.
However, gradually the endeavour reportedly died down and she saw no further advancement in the said project, she alleged. The residents of the area, on the other hand, are only demanding that the administration should show initiatives and work on the project and establish a HWC/SC on the site in Lal Pahad, so that the people of this area may have access to healthcare services, the Pradhan said.