Raisuan: In order to provide free healthcare facilities to people living close to mines here, the Odisha government has constructed a hospital building with staff quarters and also employed a number of doctors at Talajagar under Kumundi panchayat of Bansapal block in Keonjhar district.
However, the hospital is yet to start functioning. Local people have blamed the administration for its apathy in making the facility functional.
It has been over five years since the construction of the building, at cost of Rs 15 lakh, has been was completed. Power connection to the building and staff quarters has also been provided.
According to locals, since the inhabitants in the nearby vicinity are very poor, the facility would have been of great help if it became functional. With no alternative available, some end up going to quacks while others depend on roots and herbs to cure ailments.
If the conditions don’t improve, then such patients are rushed to the Keonjhar district headquarters hospital (DHH). And at times, it turns out too late to save them.
The locals have urged the administration to take steps to make the hospital functional.
PNN