Suhail Rather
Bandipora, Feb 3 (KNS): Patients at District Hospital Bandipora are bearing the brunt of harsh winter conditions due to the absence of proper heating arrangements in wards, forcing the use of blowers and gas-based heating gadgets that locals say are unsafe and inadequate.
Patients and attendants said most wards lack central heating or functional heating systems, leaving them exposed to cold temperatures, particularly during nights. In several wards, a single gas heater or blower is being shared among multiple patients.
“We are burning firewood and using a small gas heater inside the ward to keep the child warm. There is no other arrangement,” said, Abdul Ahad Najar, an attendant of a patient. “It is risky, but we have no option.”
Mushtaq Ahmad, another patient admitted to the general ward said blankets provided by the hospital were insufficient. “The cold becomes unbearable after evening. We keep shifting closer to the heater, but it barely helps,” he said.
Hospital sources said heating infrastructure has not been upgraded in line with the hospital’s growing patient load. “There is no central heating system in most wards.
Temporary arrangements like blowers are being used, which are neither safe nor effective,” a staff member said.
Attendants expressed concern over the safety risks posed by gas gadgets inside hospital wards.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel“There are oxygen cylinders nearby and children admitted here. Using gas heaters inside wards is dangerous,” said a local resident attending to his elderly mother.
Patients from remote areas said the situation worsens for those staying overnight. “People come from far-flung villages and stay here for days. The cold affects recovery, especially for children and elderly patients,” said another attendant.
Locals said the lack of heating reflects broader infrastructural gaps at the district hospital.
“On one hand, the government claims facilities are being upgraded. On the other, patients are forced to arrange heating on their own,” said, another attendant.
Medical experts warn that exposure to cold can aggravate illnesses, particularly respiratory infections and complications among newborns and elderly patients.
Hospital officials acknowledged the issue and said efforts were being made to address it. “Temporary heating arrangements have been made. We have conveyed the requirement for proper heating infrastructure to higher authorities,” an official said.
Residents have urged the health department to install safe and adequate heating systems without delay. “A hospital is meant to heal people, not expose them to additional suffering,” a local said.(KNS).