India, Oct. 13 -- Dehradun: The protest demanding better healthcare infrastructure in the remote Chaukhutia of Almora district entered its 11th day on Sunday, with residents continuing their sit-in. State Congress president Karan Mahara lashed out at the government, saying the health department has become a "headache for the people instead of curing theirs." "In this hill state, the health system is in complete disarray. There are no doctors in some hospitals, no specialists in others, no machines, no medicines..... the condition is so bad that people are being forced to take to the streets. In Chaukhutia, people have been agitating over health-related issues for a long time," Mahara said. He added that elderly people have also joined the protest, yet the government has shown no seriousness. "No senior representative of the government has reached out to them. The situation is the same across the state. If the government does not wake up now, this movement will intensify further and the entire responsibility will lie with the government," he said. Mahara further said that if, even after 25 years of statehood, people have to protest for basic healthcare facilities, it reflects the government's biggest failure. "Children's fevers go untreated, pregnant women don't get timely care, and patients are often referred elsewhere even for minor ailments. This is the same Uttarakhand for which people once fought passionately during the statehood movement....yet, 25 years later, its healthcare system remains in disarray while the government continues to project a 'Healthy Uttarakhand' only through advertisements," he said. State Bharatiya Janata Party president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt said the Congress should introspect on what it had done to strengthen the state's healthcare system during its tenure. "The Congress left the healthcare system in disarray during its rule. Our government has made significant improvements....we have appointed doctors and specialists and strengthened infrastructure. However, we acknowledge that much more still needs to be done, especially in remote and border areas," Bhatt said. He added that in a democracy, people have the right to protest, and the government is in talks with the demonstrators to find a solution. "A resolution will be reached soon. But the Congress is trying to politicise the issue as assembly elections are drawing nearer," he said....