Open drains and filthy water: Rights panel seeks report on Faridabad primary health centre
Gurgaon:
Haryana Human Rights Commission
(HHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the "alarming condition" of the Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in Faridabad. With health facilities at UPHC in Mujesar "failing to meet even the most basic requirements", a full bench of HHRC, comprising chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, on Monday directed the chief medical officer (CMO) to submit a detailed report "on the current status of its infrastructure, availability of medicines, staffing and corrective measures undertaken".
The commission, which took cognisance on Monday, directed Municipal Corporation, Faridabad (MCF) to immediately undertake sanitation drives, clear drainage systems and ensure proper road access to the health centre, followed by the submission of a compliance report.
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The commission directed the authorised representatives of both the CMO/civil surgeon and the MCF commissioner to appear before it in person on the next hearing date on July 23, along with their action-taken reports. The commission pointed out that it was "clear negligence" by the municipal corporation and the district health authorities in maintaining health standards.
HHRC protocol, information and public relations officer Dr Puneet Arora said copies of the commission's order have been sent to the additional chief secretaries of the urban local bodies department and health & family welfare department, as well as the director general of health services (Haryana) for necessary compliance.
The human rights panel questioned administrative failures which "threaten public health". HHRC expressed deep concerns over filthy and foul-smelling water, accumulated outside the Mujesar health centre, overflowing open drains and haphazard parking by nearby residents severely restricting access, especially for pregnant women and elderly citizens.
The commission observed that the situation was compounded by a "persistent shortage" of essential medicines, routine referrals to district hospitals even for minor ailments and a complete lack of basic sanitation, reflecting "a serious breakdown" in healthcare management.
The commission said, "Pregnant women and daily-wage earners were forced to wade through filthy water and denied access to primary healthcare. This not only endangered lives but discriminated against the underprivileged in accessing essential services."
"Fundamenta rights to health, dignity and equality under Articles 21 and 14 of the Constitution of India were being directly infringed," the bench said. It observed these conditions "amounted not merely to administrative negligence" but also constituted a grave violation of human rights.
The very purpose of establishing UPHCs is to provide accessible and quality healthcare to the local population. However, the persistent issue of unsanitary surroundings, lack of infrastructure and inadequate healthcare services violated the principles of public health and undermined the ability of these centres to effectively serve the community, the panel said.
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