Differently abled close main gate of Sirsa Civil Hospital in protest

Our Correspondent

Sirsa, April 24

Differently abled persons from across the district created a stir at the local Civil Hospital today. They closed the main gate of the Civil Hospital and held a protest against the hospital administration. They said they had come to the Civil Hospital from remote and far-away areas of the district to get disability certificates made but they could not find a doctor at the hospital.

DELAY IN GETTING DISABILITY CERTIFICATE

I have made several visits to the hospital in the last six months to get a disability certificate, but I never find the doctor concerned. Each bus trip from my village to Sirsa and back costs me Rs 100. It is not easy for a differently abled person to make such trips. — Navin, Rupana Khurd village

Forms for disability certificates are submitted at the Civil Hospital every Wednesday. Hundreds of differently abled youths from urban and rural areas of the district came to the hospital for the work. From 9 am to 12 pm, they waited for the doctor concerned, but he did not come. This enraged the people and they closed the main gate of the Civil Hospital to mark their protest. The prolonged closure of the main gate led to a large gathering of people at the gate.

One of the protesters, Priyanka, said she had been visiting the hospital for several months now and sometimes the doctor concerned was not available, sometimes she was told her documents were not complete. Today, she said she reached the Civil Hospital at 8 am but the doctor concerned did not come even by 12 pm.

Navin, a resident of Rupana Khurd village, said he had made several visits to the Civil Hospital in the last six months to get a disability certificate made, but he never found a doctor. He said he was told to come the following Wednesday each time. He said each bus trip from his village to Sirsa and back cost him Rs 100. “The authorities should understand that it is not easy for a differently abled person to make such trips,” he said.

Following the protest, on the instructions of Civil Surgeon Dr Mahendra Bhadu, other doctors reached out to the differently abled and informed them that the doctor who looked after the disability certificate formalities was on leave. They assured the protesters that all the forms submitted by them for disability certificates would be processed, after which the protesters opened the gate.

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