PHC
Tugapur was my first posting as Medical Officer while working at
Andaman/Nicobar Administration (Feb 2004). The stay here was very boring
with nowhere to go nearby and very little work to do even as a single
doctor posted here. The telephone line rarely connected to Port Blair
and internet connectivity was a distant dream (I have heard
they have fixed the connectivity issues- but its hard to believe till I
see that). The daily OPD strength was below 50 patients and 6-7
inpatients on an average (I sometimes wondered why have they made this
beautiful PHC building here and wasted govt. money). The PHC building I
was told is a model building for all the future upcoming Primary Health
Centers at Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
PHC Tugapur
Believe it or not but this is a Primary Health center at Andamans !
Hanspuri Visit with Staff
Hanspuri is a small segregated village under coverage area of
PHC Tugapur. Since Hanspuri is
not easily accessible by Land, taking a mechanised boat from
Mayabunder is an option. The bridge (Austin Bridge -
connecting Middle and South Andaman) seen in the background is no more in the
same shape after Tsunami of 26/12/04.
The
first visit to this place with PHC staff was fun, but the fun soon
vanished after looking at the pathetic state of the primary care
SubCentre that existed at this place. The SubCentre was looked after
by a untrained local helper whose qualification to dispense drugs
was beyond my understanding. The removal of expired drugs and
documents took hours. God! in this cyber age people still live
without electricity.
