A healthcare facility run by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has become a source of grave public health concern due to extreme neglect. The Dik dispensary, located on East High Court Road, is in a deplorable condition, with serious issues of hygiene, patient safety, and staff welfare being raised by locals and patients alike.
A Picture of Neglect and Health Hazards
The premises of the dispensary present a shocking scene. Debris and solid waste are scattered all around, while inside the building, stagnant contaminated water collects. The most alarming issue is the overflowing sewage, which poses a major health risk to anyone visiting or working at the center. The stagnant water emits a foul smell and increases the danger of mosquito breeding, raising the threat of infections.
Compounding the problem, the area has reportedly turned into a hangout for anti-social elements. Evidence of this includes empty liquor bottles, plastic cups, and cigarette packs found littered across the dispensary grounds. This environment makes it difficult for patients, particularly vulnerable groups like the elderly, women, and children who visit daily, to access basic healthcare with dignity.
Voices of Anguish and Official Response
Retired Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) employee Vijay Singh expressed deep distress over the situation. He highlighted that cattle freely roam the premises and cleaning is virtually non-existent. "It is painful to see such a heritage-style facility rot due to negligence," Singh said. He added that despite raising the issue with the medical officer, who claimed to have written several times to the zone office, no change has occurred.
In response to complaints, health officials from NMC's Dharampeth zone acknowledged the crisis. A senior official stated that the matter was officially taken up and letters were sent to the assistant commissioner of the zone. The issue was subsequently forwarded to the engineering and sanitation departments for resolution.
Systemic Issues and Promised Action
Officials explained that the dispensary, which was brought under the central government's Ayushman Arogya Mandir initiative a couple of years ago to ramp up services, is still grappling with infrastructural failures. "Due to certain drainage and connection-related issues, water stagnation and sanitation problems cropped up again," the official said. The engineering department has been instructed to undertake restoration and sanitation work at the earliest.
However, officials clarified a key bureaucratic hurdle: since structural repairs, drainage, and sewage issues fall under the purview of the engineering department, the medical staff's role is limited to escalating the matter through official channels. This points to a systemic coordination problem within the municipal corporation that is directly impacting a critical public health facility, leaving both patients and staff in unsafe conditions for months on end.
