Prominent citizens meet BMO Nowshera, demands for improved healthcare services

GNS ONLINE NEWS PORTAL

SHYAM SOOD 

RAJOURI, NOVEMBER  07:–Influential community members of Nowshera and adjoining areas on Tuesday met Block Medical Officer (BMO) Nowshera, Dr. Iqbal in his office chamber and raised several concerns for the improvement of healthcare service in this Health Block.
One of the foremost issues raised was the shortage of doctors, particularly in the fields of B-Grade orthopaedics, Surgery, and Anaesthesia, which have remained unfilled for an extended period.
Senior citizens through BMO have appealed to higher health authorities to fill the posts of doctors that have been lying vacant for the last many years, especially in the sub-district hospital Nowshera.
They also demanded the establishment of new positions in the SDH Nowshera for specialists in ENT, Ophthalmology, Paediatrics, and Dermatology to meet the healthcare needs of the approximately 2 lakh residents of Nowshera sub-district.
The community members appreciated the improvement in the healthcare services in the entire block after Dr. Iqbal Malik took over the charge of BMO and asked him to ensure that all Outpatient Departments (OPDs) operate on a daily basis so that the patients may get high-quality, affordable medicines, with a preference for generic prescriptions or specifying the active ingredient of branded medicines.
The community members expressed their grievances about the external diagnostic services.
The community members appealed to BMO, Dr. Iqbal Malik to ensure in-house diagnostic services, including Ultrasound, X-ray, and laboratory tests, in SDH Nowshera with the support of higher authorities.
This practice was seen as a hindrance to seamless healthcare delivery, and the attendees urged for an enhancement of in-house diagnostic facilities.
Another critical concern raised was the frequent power outages, necessitating the installation of a three-phase generator to ensure an uninterrupted power supply for the hospital.
The intermittent electrical supply has been causing undue hardship to patients, and this issue was flagged as a priority.
The meeting concluded with the assurance of full support from the community members for the Block Medical Officer, Nowshera, commending their commendable efforts in the field of healthcare. The BMO, in turn, attentively listened to the concerns of the attendees, assuring them that their demands would be communicated to the higher authorities.
The citizens expressed confidence that this collaborative effort will lead to significant improvements in healthcare services for the residents of Nowshera and the surrounding areas.
It is pertinent to mention here that Dr. Iqbal Malik has received various awards/appreciation, including from Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha, for his efficiency & able administration of meritorious healthcare services.
Earlier he served as BMO Darhal & Kandi and has been successful in providing quality healthcare services at the doorsteps of poor people in far-flung and remote areas.