Farmers protest proposal to rename health facilities

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 3

Various farmers’ organisations under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha on Monday held a demonstration against the proposal of changing the names of Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna Rural Health Centre at Bhakna and the Primary Health Centre at Attari to Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics.

They pointed out that instead of changing the names of the government health centres, the government should solve the problem of staff crunch to provide efficient health services in the rural belt.

Rattan Singh Randhawa, senior leader of the Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, said the two hospitals catered to people of around two dozen villages located near the Indo-Pak border. He said medical staff, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and lab technicians, from these health centres were being shifted to city areas.

He said poor farmers and people living in the border belt who could not afford expensive treatment at private hospitals and clinics in villages were going to city government hospitals for treatment.

They demanded that the government should not change the names of the health centres that were named after historic warriors and freedom fighters. They urged the government to provide the required number of staff to these centres.

They handed over a memorandum to the SDMs to be forwarded to the Chief Minister in this connection. They warned of launching an agitation if the government failed to withdraw their decision of changing the names of these two health centres. They said they would block the Attari road on July 12.

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