DENTAL OPD AT KOELWAR CHC NON-FUNCTIONAL

DENTAL OPD AT KOELWAR CHC NON-FUNCTIONAL

31-JULY-ENG 16

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------The dental OPD services at the Koilwar Community Health Centre (CHC) in Bhojpur district have once again become irregular. After a brief period of improvement following a surprise inspection by the District Magistrate, the situation has reverted to its previous state, leaving patients who travel from far-flung areas for dental treatment disappointed and forced to return without receiving care.

Sharing her ordeal, Asgari Begum—who visited the centre for treatment on Thursday—explained that she had been suffering from severe toothache for several days. Despite visiting the CHC for four consecutive days (from Monday to Thursday), she was unable to access the dentist's services.

Her son, Azad, stated that the dentist's OPD room is frequently found locked. When they found the dentist's chamber closed on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and inquired about the reason, hospital staff informed them that the dentist, Dr. Pooja Kumari, was on special leave.

Subsequently, when they brought his mother to the hospital again on Thursday, they found the dentist's chamber completely closed once more.

Distressed patients and their families allege that the dentist has a history of not attending duty regularly at the CHC, citing various reasons.

When the District Magistrate conducted a surprise inspection recently following complaints about this negligence, local villagers had prominently raised the issue of the dentist's frequent absence.

While the OPD operated regularly for a few days after that, the situation has now deteriorated again, forcing patients from remote rural areas to return disappointed without receiving treatment. Meanwhile, when the Medical Officer-in-Charge was contacted regarding this matter, he explained that Dentist Dr. Pooja Kumari is scheduled to work in the field for three days and in the hospital's OPD for the remaining three days.

He also clarified that the dentist was on leave on Thursday. Nevertheless, there is deep resentment among locals and patients regarding the inconvenience caused by Dr. Pooja's 'hide-and-seek' style of working.