Women’s healthcare takes a backseat across large swathes of the hinterland in India. Prejudicial thought processes and age-old unhygienic habits still lead to many deaths and unhealthy living conditions.
Bakerwal tribal Yasmeen Baji, an elected representative of the Reasi District Development Council (DDC), hopes to do her bit and improve healthcare facilities – especially for the girl child – in her remote village of Chassana.
She is working tirelessly towards this. “I am contemplating a series of medical camps for different sections of the society in remote areas,” she says enthusiastically. “We will take the help of the police and army for this.”
Yasmeen Baji of the Reasi District Development Council is doing her best to improve healthcare facilities, especially for women
Baji’s main concerns, however, stemmed from the local hospital. The Gota Primary Health Centre in Reasi is situated in an under-construction building, which prospective patients tend to avoid. There is no doctor available and even trained healthcare workers are hard to come by.
With the nearest motorable road nearly 10 km away, women and seriously ill patients are often shifted from the area using a charpoy as a makeshift stretcher.
Concerned by such inadequate facilities, Yasmeen Baji decided to take some action last year. With the locals rallying around her, Baji threw her hat into the ring for a DDC membership.
The IGNOU graduate won the election and immediately began her campaign to complete construction of the PHC building for better healthcare facilities in the area.
Today, Baji has managed to get a grant of Rs 21 lakh released for completing construction. She is now focusing on completing pending roadwork in far-flung areas of her constituency to improve connectivity.
Baji says a bridge between Sugga and Hansot has also been sanctioned but funds have not been released so far. “I am trying my level best to get the funds so construction work can be taken up as soon as possible,” she says.
Baji is quick to emphasise that her focus is not politics. “I want to address grievances of the local population.”
