Long-awaited healthcare centre set to be built in South Dinajpur’s Banshihari block

BALURGHAT: Daulatpur residents in South Dinajpur’s Bansihari block are finally set to witness the fulfillment of a decade-long demand. A 15-bed Primary Health Centre (PHC) will soon be constructed in the area, thanks to the efforts of state Consumer Affairs minister Biplab Mitra. The state Health department has sanctioned nearly Rs 1.5 crore for the project.

According to Sudip Das, Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) of the district: “The Health department approved the Daulatpur PHC back in 2011. In April, Rs 1.5 crore was allocated by Swasthya Bhavan for the project. We are currently finalising the tender process and plan to begin construction before the Durga Puja festival. Once completed, the PHC will serve around 40,000 residents.” For years, villagers from Bansihari’s remote areas — including Bagduar, Ganguria, Bonmalipur, Shisha, Mohammadpur and Daulatpur — have had to travel 10 to 20 km to access healthcare services at Rashidpur or Harirampur Rural Hospitals. This new facility is expected to bring essential medical services much closer to home.

With construction set to begin soon, hope rises for thousands in the Daulatpur and its surrounding villages who will benefit from timely and accessible medical care.

Biplab Mitra emphasised the importance of the project, saying: “Establishing a PHC in Daulatpur has been a long-standing demand of the local people. They approached me multiple times and I took the matter up with the Chief Minister. With the approval now secured, work will commence within a month.” Ganesh Prasad, Sabhapati of the Bansihari Panchayat Samiti and a resident of Daulatpur, expressed satisfaction with the development.

“People across our panchayat area have been facing challenges in accessing proper healthcare. As public representatives, we have fought hard for this project. Thanks to minister Mitra’s initiative, our long-pending demand is finally being fulfilled.”