Even though community health centres have been set up to provide free healthcare, the professionals working there and the treatment given to patients leave much to be desired.
Vandana, a young woman married into a farmers’ family, lives in Nabipur village in block Trivediganj, in the district of Barabanki, right in the centre of Awadh in Uttar Pradesh. She had been complaining of a discomfort in her vagina for some time and but been ignoring, as per customary traditions for Indian women, but when it reached unmanageable proportions, she decided to pay a visit to the local health centre for diagnosis and treatment.
Community health centres, or CHCs, are part of the country’s public health programme and as per the rule, are known to offer consultation and even treatment free of charge. The whole point of healthcare facilities in rural areas is to provide access to those who are living their lives in far-flung places and are unable to afford it. However, the intended benefits of these centres don’t always reach the common man or woman who are, in theory, the intended beneficiaries.
At the Haidergarh CHC, Vandana was in for a brutal shock. Not only was there an outright demand for money in order to perform an operation that she apparently needed for her condition, but there was also a severe aftermath. Her father-in-law Rajkumar runs us through the details, “When we took her to the hospital, we were told it’s not a big deal. They said it’s a ‘do minute ka kaam (two-minute job)’, but we had to get the fee arranged for the procedure.” He mirrors our surprise at this disclosure, “Yes, we were all taken aback. ‘Isn’t it supposed to be free of cost?’ we asked them.” But Rajkumar says they were met with some irritation upon this, “They just said no, it wasn’t, and even urged us to get the money quickly. The amount they asked for was Rs 4,000.” Not a measly amount for a farmer’s family, they finally managed to get together Rs 2,000 and told them it was all they could do, especially at such short notice. Rajkumar alleges that the minor irritation they had been subjected to earlier turned into a blatant anger from the hospital. He further states that it was their frustration at not being given the full amount they had demanded that was responsible for what followed.
Vandana, who had not been part of this kerfuffle and had been taken inside for the surgery prep, woke up to a horrendous scene post the surgery. The pain had become worse and heavy bleeding followed soon after – the stitches, it seems, had come undone. She could not believe what had transpired. Says Rajkumar, “When they operated on her, they were totally careless. They cut through her flesh and did a shoddy job of stitching her up.” Apart from the rage, there is a confusion too, “I do not understand it. The doctor had called it a ‘baaye haath ka kaam (piece of cake)’, he said that it was just a quick, standard job. Then what happened? All her stitches came undone. What kind of practice is this?”
But there was more to follow. When Vandana’s family asked for a night’s stay at the hospital, so that help would be at hand for her recovery, they were refused point blank. Says Rajkumar, “We were told that we had to take her away immediately. This was merely half an hour after the unsuccessful operation had been performed on her.”
Watch her story here: