Ferozepur ex-MLA ‘inaugurates PHC’ in village, hands over key to staff; civil surgeon ‘clueless’

The district health officials got activated only after the ‘inauguration ceremony’ of the PHC, led by Pinki went viral on social media, including the pictures posted by Pinki on his social media handle on ‘X’.

Pinki’s action infuriated the people from ruling party who raised this issue with the concerned officials.

On Tuesday evening, Dr. Rajwinder Kaur, civil surgeon Ferozepur told The Indian Express, “Monday evening, I saw a video in which the ex-MLA was seen giving a speech in which he claimed he had inaugurated a PHC and given keys to the health department staff. We have a health and wellness clinic and not a PHC in this hospital.

One community health officer, an auxiliary nursing midwife and accredited social health activist (ASHA) operate from there. They were given two rooms in the village Gurdwara with the consent of Gurdwara management committee. This staff acts as bridge between the villagers and doctors. I am clueless as which PHC has been inaugurated and why my staff has been shifted there without my knowledge. I have issued a notice to the ex-MLA asking him to tell me as to which PHC he had inaugurated. I gave him two days to provide me the details”.

Dr. Kaur added that “there are no sanctioned posts for a PHC in Attari village” and “I do not know which building that the ex-MLA is claiming as a PHC, has been inaugurated by him”.

Pinki, however, told The Indian Express, that “Being a public figure, villagers had invited me at the Akhand path organised in the village Gurdwara. Later, the village panchayat gave the keys to the health staff as the PHC was built on panchayat land. I had earlier got money sanctioned for it’s construction. The work has recently been completed. So what is the harm, if village panchayat invited me? I don’t think that the civil surgeon is authorised to issue any notice to me. Also, I have not received any such notice so far”.

It is learnt that Pinki, during his tenure as MLA had also laid the foundation stone of construction of this PHC in the fag end of his term ahead of assembly polls in February, 2022.