Viral Video: Security Guard Does Pharmacist Job At CHC In Odisha’s Ganjam

Berhampur: In another example of poor health services for inadequate staff in Odisha, a security guard has been found attending the patients in a CHC in Odisha’s Ganjam district.

A video that went viral in social media on Saturday showed that the security guard was doing the pharmacist’s work of giving medicines as per the prescription of the doctor to the patients in the community health centre (CHC) at Chikiti Gada in the district.

According to sources, a large number of patients visit the CHC from Chikiti town and its nearby places in the absence of a health facility in the area. But the CHC is plagued by vacancies of medical staff for a long time.

The CHC has been sanctioned the posts of a medical in-charge, an Ayush doctor, a pharmacist, a staff nurse, an ANM worker and a laboratory technician. Though the posts were filled up, all the staff except medical in-charge Dr Prabhu Prasad Panda were transferred a month back, said the sources.

Dr Panda, being the lone medical hand in the health centre, finds it tough to attend to all the patients. As a result, most of the patients are referred to MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur in the district. For the rest patients, the security guard used to extend the services besides doing his own duty, the locals said.

On being asked about the viral video by media persons, chief district medical officer (CDMO) Umashankar Mishra said he was aware of vacancies of posts in the CHC. But he assured that steps were being taken to fill up the vacancies soon.