Health centres grope in the dark after KSEB removes fuse for not paying bill
Community health center in Kannadi is grappling with darkness after KSEB cut off electricity for unpaid bills, impacting crucial services.
Community health center in Kannadi is grappling with darkness after KSEB cut off electricity for unpaid bills, impacting crucial services.
Community health center in Kannadi is grappling with darkness after KSEB cut off electricity for unpaid bills, impacting crucial services.
Palakkad: The community health centre in Kannadi has been functioning without electricity and water supply for over a month after KSEB removed the fuse for not paying the bill.
The health and wellness centre under the community centre, where treatment for pregnant women and children and various immunisation programs are conducted, has been struggling due to a lack of light and other facilities.
The employees in the office work by switching on the flashlight on their mobile phones or lighting candles. Meanwhile, children are given vaccines at the veranda as there is no light inside. Children, pregnant women and teenagers regularly come here to receive inoculation under various health schemes launched by the central government.
Besides, the sub centre also diagnoses lifestyle diseases and collects health data. The refrigerators to store medicines and vaccine ampoules, too, are in this building. The Junior Public Health Nurse (JPHN) stays at the sub centre as part of her duty.
Although the electricity bill was generated in the name of the secretary of Kannadi grama panchayat, the bill amount, often a meagre sum, was paid by the sub centre. However, the bill amount increased when the centre got equipped with more electronic devices and machines.
The current JPHN, who took charge in November last year, paid up to ₹11,000 as an electricity bill. She refused to pay the bill anymore when it became impossible for the centre to afford this amount. The panchayat then paid for the next two months, but it refuses to pay the bill anymore.
The panchayat argues that special funds have been allotted to the family health centre that comes under its jurisdiction to pay for such expenses. Meanwhile, the health department says that it can’t pay the electricity bill of the centre where the JPHN lives.
The officials claim that paying the bill would lead to an audit objection. The JPHN has been urging the authorities to install a separate metre for her office and residential space, and even agreed to pay the electricity bill for this part of the building. However, her demand has not been approved by the authorities yet.