An indefinite relay hunger strike in support of a popular demand that the Kumbalanghi Community Health Centre be made a 24-hour public healthcare provider entered the 12th day on Tuesday. The issue remained unresolved even after a local hartal on Monday.
Many organisations have joined the ongoing protest. It is learnt that the health centre was upgraded to CHC in 1988, but the government failed to provide enough doctors for the centre to start the 24-hour service. The hospital has facilities for about 30 in-patients.
The hospital had only five doctors and that could only take care of the routine, emergency and on-call doctor facility. The protests led to a meeting convened by MLA Dominic Presentation on Saturday in which it was decided to get two doctors from National Health Mission to begin the 24-hour service. However, Mr. Presentation told The Hindu that the facilities to provide accommodation for doctors were not yet ready. A Health official told The Hindu that there had been representations for increasing the number of posts of doctors, but the Finance department has not yet approved it.
