Himalayan Times (1954)

Eight

"iSitiinlneJt.n Cfj.ncm

September 5, 1954

HEALTH CENTRE OPENED AT
SUKIAPOKHARI

Darjeeling, September' 2

Sri S. K. Rai, Deputy
Labour Minister perform-
ed the opening of a
twenty-bedded Thana
Health Centre at Sukia-
pokhari on August 27,
1954 Sri S. Dutt-Majura
dar. Deputy Commissioner,
Darjeeling presided. Sri
K. S. Prasad, M.L.C., Sri
D. B. Chhetri, Chairman,
Kurseong Municipality, Sri
Guha Ma/.umdar, Civil
Surgeon, Sri B. S. Ragha-
van, Sub-Divisional Officer,
Darjeeling Sadar, many
officials, uon-officials and
rural people attended the
function.

Addressing fhe gathering
the Deputy Minister said
that our Government was
pledged to improve the
health of the people of
the State by giving medi-
cal facilities and opening
Health Centres, at vari-
ous places in each district.
He said that so far 176
Health Centres have been
opened in West Bengal
and in Darjeeling district
8 Health Centres were run-
ning now and there were
proposal to have more
-Health Centres in the Hill-
areas shortly. In addition
to the already existing
106 beds in Victoria Hos-
pital, Governmentk was

going to place 100 more
beds in the Eden Sanito-
rium in order to admit
more patients for free
treatment. Referring to
menace of T. B. in this
district the Deputy Minis-
ter said that the cause of
its spread was due to fear
complex and the wrong
idea harboured by people
to keep it suppressed. It
waB the primary duty of
the people, to consult the
doctor without delay and
take the neoessary advice
from him for its treat-
ment. Twenty-five free
beds were reserved in S.
B. Dey Sanitorium. for
poor T. B. patients of this
district and Government
had made a lump sum
grant of Forty thousand
rupees to the Clarke's T B.
Hospital, Darjeeling which
would' also get a recurr-
ing grant of twenty-five
thousand rupees per year.
The Deshbandhu T. B.
Cheat Clinic, which was
now under construc-
tion in Darjeeling, would
also be of great benefit
to the local people, added
the Deputy Minister. He
also explained in brief the
great achievments done by
the Government, for the
good of the people and

the country as a who'e
during the last 7 years of
Independence. In conclu-
sion, he exhorted the rural
people to make a full
use of the Health Centre
and also co-operate in the
development works such
as the National Extension
Service which had already
been started in Sukia-
pokhari.

In his presidential speech
Sri' Dutt-Mazumdar said
that the primary needs of
th« people were education
and health. Ho said that
Government were doing
their best to fulfil these
two needs by opening va-
rious educational institu-
tutions and health centres
in this district for the
benefit of the people of
interior plaoes beeides that
of the urban areas.

Later the Deputy Minis-
ter was piven a reception
in the newly const noted
Janta Bhawan where ad-
dresses of welcome from
the Sukiapokhari High
School and the Public Hall
Committee were present-
ed to him The Deputy
Minister gave a suitable
reply assuring both the
school and the Public Hall
Corhmitteo for all possible
help.

» * »

The, National Plau
Loan floated in April 1954
to enable people to con-
tribute towards India's
Development Programmes
is closiug on September
16, 1954