J-K: Villagers in Akhnoor's Pallanwala demand better healthcare facilities amid COVID

Akhnoor (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 27 (ANI): Amid the surge in the COVID-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir, people in Pallanwala village in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor sector have demanded a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in their area.
Swaran Singh, a former Sarpanch of the village said that the government closed down the only Primary Health Centre in the village two years back terming it 'unsafe' and assured to prepare the PHC within six months.
"The border is just 2 kms from the village. Due to lack of healthcare facility, we are not able to provide first aid to the people who get injured in the firing," Swaran said.
"We reside near the border area, we do not have many facilities to travel, that is why we want the government to maintain the PHC. The roads are also not good," he said.
He also urged the government to focus on the villages near international borders.
Gulbadal Singh, a local resident at the village told ANI that there is no health facility in the Pallanwala village.
"There was a healthcare centre in the village but was closed down two years back. The government has announced that a 5-bedded hospital will be set up. We demand the UT administration to set up a hospital," a villager Purshotam said.
"There is no road in this village. There is no teacher or medical staff in the village," he said.
Gulbadal Singh, another local resident, said that more than 22,000 people were dependent on the PHC, which was closed down two years back.
According to the official data, there are 43,892 active cases of COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)