Founded: March 15 2002
Last updated: June 11, 2002

Lone Doctor Runs Bodhgaya Health Centre
Bodhgaya, 3 June, (Dainik Jagran). The only health centre in the international tourist centre of Bodhgaya is nowadays on the brink of breaking down. It is forced to preach a message of living in a clean environment whilst itself being surrounded on all sides by piles of refuse. Even though there is a building during the rainy season the conditions are very bad for people working in it. Due to being unable to deliver on time the various programs for the World Health Organisation it is proving the truth of the saying that 'an elephant has two teeth'[1]
It is memorable that until a few months ago in the said health centre there was one in-charge and three other officers employed there, but due to the retirement of the in-charge and one other doctor and the transfer of another there is only one doctor left, Dr Ravi Shankar. Due to this the problem of getting paid has had to be faced by the other employers of the health centre. In this regard it seems that none of the 18 employees of the health centre have been paid since their August 1999 payment. Whilst it seems that the money for their payment has already been withdrawn. From amongst them one has already been transfered elsewhere and a woman worker has retired.
Bihar Doctors and Public Health Workers Union secretary Bhupindra Singh said that through a union meeting demands had been made to the department to address the various problems of the workers. So far only food for the various accident case patients has been sent from the local police station. [I am not sure if I what is being suggested here, that the police are providing food for the patients in the health centre?] There are about 18 sub-centres under the block. The majority of which are in rented property in poor condition. Under the Village Council Constitution the arrival of health sub-centres led to the light of hope appearing in the eyes of the villagers.

[Some years ago I took a local friend to the Bodhgaya Health centre and at that time the only medicine in stock was quinine which was being given to all patients as a kind of universal cure-all:-PGF]

[1] Unfortunately I don't actually know what this saying means.

Texts and Translations © Peter G. Friedlander unless otherwise indicated.