Anantnag, Nov 11 (KNS): The non-availability of facilities and understaffed hospitals in Anantnag speaks about the poor state of affairs in health department.
According to the KNS correspondent, Hussain Babu, the district hospital Anantnag and the Maternity and Childcare hospitals are the most crowded health facilities in south Kashmir region as several areas of Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley prefer to get treatment in these two hospitals.
Apart from that, the three other adjacent districts of Kulgam Shopian and many areas of Pulwama too turn to these hospitals for Medicare.
Even if the department is giving rosy picture about the achievements of these hospitals, there are still issues plaguing these health facilities which are causing a disappointment to thousands of patients who converge here.
As per the sources, in district hospital Anantnag, there is no MRI facility available for which patients are supposed to turn to the private diagnostic centres who are minting huge money over the suffering of mostly poor patients.
They said that there are also no ventilators available in this hospital. District hospital Anantnag also lacks super specialist doctors and the neurosurgery, cardio vascular thoracic surgery, cardiology, urology and gastroenterology units which are manned by a single super specialist.
For specialized treatments, hundreds of patients are referred to Srinagar hospitals on daily basis.
“Anantnag hospitals had a responsibility to cater with the large areas of south Kashmir region so as to reduce the burden in Srinagar hospitals. Instead, the patients who are shifted here from the tertiary hospitals are put to more trouble when they are referred to Srinagar hospitals. The doctors have also become habitual of referring the patients to Srinagar even on minor issues”, says a doctor.
In Maternity and Childcare hospital, which is located at Sher Bagh in Anantnag maintown, the situation is also grim. Some 110 beds have been stuffed inside a small space all because the chemists outside the hospitals are resisting the government’s move to shift it to some other spacious location. This hospital not only lacks proper infrastructure but is also largely understaffed.
“Earlier the patients would be managed by some 15 doctors but currently there are only eight doctors available here. Some six doctors were shifted a month back while another retired during this period leaving the hospital at the mercy of only half the staff. Also, there is a dearth of proper paramedic staff while there is no Sanitary Inspector available in the hospital. Some of the machines are also being managed by some technicians as there is a non-availability of specialists here too”, said an insider.
Director Health as well as the Chief Medical Officer however contested the claim of this reporter saying the hospital is not understaffed.
“There is no such thing like the hospital being understaffed. Yes, one of the doctors got retired but we are soon replacing them with new doctors as per the need and requirement”. Director Health Services said.
While the CMO Anantnag said they are looking into solving the issues faced in district hospital Anantnag. (KNS)