The Veterinary Polyclinic located at Kothapet is reaching a milestone, as it is gearing up to celebrate 100 years of its existence.
The institute, which is also a referral hospital in the district for livestock, was opened in September, 1914 as a veterinary hospital and was later upgraded to a polyclinic in 1985.
Located on a five-acre plot, the polyclinic has an outpatient ward, X-Ray unit, training centre and an inpatient ward.
Later, the offices of Joint Director (Animal Husbandry), Assistant Director, District Frozen Semen Department and Animal Disease Diagnostic Centre were added.
Headed by Deputy Director G. Vijaya Mohan, the polyclinic was being administered by skeletal staff comprising two Assistant Directors, one Veterinary Surgeon and six attenders.
Yet, the polyclinic established to protect livestock, ensure safety of animal foods and prevention of zoonotic diseases to safeguard human health continues to languish, thanks to lack of government support and adequate funding.
The polyclinic is still housed in a ramshackle shed, which was the first structure to come up in 1914.
Even though a team of dedicated veterinarians, both field staff and lab personnel, has been working with passion, lack of government support has poured cold water on their efforts.
The polyclinic has an X-ray wing, which has not been functional for some time. The lack of fully equipped operation theatre is forcing the surgeons to perform complex operations in the open space. Lack of latest diagnostic facilities like ultra-sonic equipment have forced surgeons to refer treatment of complex diseases to the super-specialty vet hospital at Vijayawada.
The construction of a new building began in 2007, but that was shelved after a scam involving Executive Engineer of Fisheries E. Suryanarayana.
“We have sent proposals to construct new blocks at a cost of Rs. 1 crore. The polyclinic could be upgraded to a super-specialty centre to provide better care to livestock. An inpatient medical ward to house large animals, a operation theatre to perform surgeries and an attender’s room are some of the basic requirements,” said Deputy Director G. Vijaya Mohan.
The livestock population in Guntur has been witnessing a significant increase over the last years and has emerged as a sustainable livelihood model for hundreds of families. The district has a buffalo population of 10.21 lakh, followed by sheep (6.43 lakh), goat (4.25 lakh), cattle (1.11 lakh) and dogs (26,000).
