Hyderabad: Patients visiting the Shankarpalli Primary Health Centre (PHC) faced severe inconvenience after rainwater leaked through the building’s roof. The six-bed facility, located in the Shankarpalli municipal limits, has been struggling with damaged infrastructure, forcing staff to place buckets inside the wards to prevent flooding.
Relatives of patients blamed the mess on official negligence and shoddy construction by the contractor. They said the hospital, meant to provide care, now poses its own risks. “People come here for treatment, but in this condition they might end up catching an infection instead,” one attendant said, pointing to the damp, unhygienic wards during the downpour.
Despite repeated political promises, the facility has remained limited to six beds. Leaders had assured a 30-bed hospital before state bifurcation, but the commitment has not materialised. Even the existing building lacks a boundary wall, raising further safety concerns.
Shankarpalli Primary Health Centre suffers staffing shortage
The PHC has two sanctioned doctor posts, but only one is currently working at the centre. Another doctor, along with some staff, has been deputed to Hyderabad while continuing to draw salaries from Shankarpalli. This has left patients in rural areas without adequate medical care, despite the official sanction for higher staff strength.
Locals complained that, though Shankarpalli was upgraded from a gram panchayat to a municipality, basic health facilities have barely changed. They are now demanding that authorities fix the leaking roof without delay and post adequate staff to meet the area’s medical needs.
