Abhishek & Vikramaditya
Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 24: The Gram Panchayat of Parnashala has urged the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to take immediate steps to restore essential diagnostic services at the Community Health Centre (CHC) Rangat in Middle Andaman, stating that several key laboratory instruments have remained non-functional and patients from a large geographical area are facing difficulties in accessing routine medical tests.
In a letter addressed to Dr. Dinesh Sharma, Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. Balamurugan, Pradhan of Gram Panchayat Parnashala demanded urgent personal intervention, highlighting what he described as the critical condition of diagnostic infrastructure at CHC Rangat.
He added that CHC Rangat serves as a primary healthcare facility for a vast area covering Rangat, Nimbutala, Kaushalyanagar, Bakultala, Kadamtala, Shivapuram, Sabari, Long Island and neighbouring rural hamlets. A large number of residents from these areas depend on the health centre for basic and emergency medical care.
The issue was reportedly highlighted during the Rogi Kalyan Samiti meeting held at CHC Rangat on September 24. The Chief Medical Officer is stated to have formally brought to notice the operational condition of the hospital’s diagnostic laboratory. The automated clinical chemistry analyser has reportedly remained non-functional since July 20, affecting automated blood panel investigations, while the semi-auto analyser has reportedly been out of order since August 12, leaving the facility without an alternative mechanism for routine biochemistry tests.
The letter also points to a shortage of essential chemical reagents required for basic biochemistry investigations. According to the representation, the reagents for both analysers have been completely exhausted. The thyroid analyser is also stated to be non-functional, preventing routine thyroid profiling at the health centre.
In addition, the distilled water plant or machine used for laboratory cleaning and test preparation is reportedly out of order. The laboratory has also been described as requiring two new air-conditioning units to maintain suitable ambient temperatures for sensitive testing equipment, reagents and samples.
The Pradhan stated that hospital authorities had sent multiple official requisitions and reminders to the concerned department over the issue, but claimed that no corrective action or repair work had been initiated so far. As a result, patients, including senior citizens, pregnant women and economically weaker residents, are reportedly being compelled to travel to Sri Vijaya Puram for routine blood tests. The representation states that the journey of more than 170 kilometres along the Andaman Trunk Road places considerable physical and financial hardship on residents.
Mr. Balamurugan has requested immediate directions to the Directorate of Health Services for repair or replacement of the non-functional analysers and distilled water machine, immediate procurement and supply of required chemical reagents, and approval and installation of two new air-conditioning units at the laboratory.
