Health centre cleaner works as ambulance driver
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Chandimarh (Poonch), June 13
Though it requires a professional and experienced hand to drive an ambulance, the health authorities have given this responsibility to a safai karamchari (cleaner).

Shoket Ali of Surankote whose works as a cleaner in the primary health centre (PHC) here, has been additionally given the role of an ambulance driver. He has a valid driving license to drive a commercial vehicle and that qualifies him to drive the PHC ambulance also.

Interestingly, the local health authorities, on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that they are extracting the work of a driver from a cleaner.

But they said few months back they had requested the then Poonch deputy commissioner J.S. Pachnanda to appoint a local driver. Pachnanda even promised to appoint a driver. Meanwhile, he retired and nothing happened after that.

"Since the PHC is near the under-construction Mughal Road, the number of accident cases is quite large. In the absence of a regular driver we have to take the services of Shoket Ali for ferrying the patients to nearby Surankote sub-district hospital," the sources said.

This PHC caters to thousands of patients coming from Peer Ki Gali, Poshana, Dugran, Chandimarh, Behramgala and Bufliaz. The patients coming to this PHC for treatment comprise nomads and labourers working on the Mughal Road.

"However, problem arises when even the cleaner goes on leave. At that time, if an emergency case arrives, we are simply helpless," they added. Locals complained that during a public durbar called by Pachnanda, they had raised this problem but even as the latter promised, nothing happened.

Sources in the district administration confirmed that Pachnanda had called a local youth with valid driving license and ample experience for appointment as a driver in the PHC on contractual basis but nothing materialised.

They added that now the district administration has invited applications from the local unemployed youth with requisite qualification for appointment as a driver on contractual basis in this PHC. Every effort to contact director health services and district health authorities were not available for comment.