Court seeks govt reply on absence of med staff in Haldwani hosp

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand high court (HC) division bench of Chief Justice Ritu Bahri and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal, while adjudicating a public interest litigation concerning the lack of medical personnel and other amenities at the newly-built community health centre (CHC) in Haldwani’s Halduchaur area, has directed the state govt to submit a reply within 15 days.
The petitioners Govind Ballabh Bhatt and Hemant Gauniya, both residents of Haldwani, highlighted that the construction of the CHC in Halduchaur was concluded one and a half years ago.
During the HC proceedings in July 2023, the govt had apprised that positions for medical officers, X-ray technicians, pharmacists, nurses, ward boys and cleaning staff had been sanctioned for the CHC. The court had decreed the govt to make appointments to these positions within three months, but they have not yet been effectuated. The petition also noted that the CHC does not even possess an X-ray machine, engendering hardships for expectant mothers. Pankul Sharma