Suhail Rather
‎
‎Bandipora, Oct 28 (KNS): Barely two days after a five-day hunger strike in Gurez ended following the deployment of two gynaecologists, another agitation is brewing in Bandipora, where traders and civil society representatives have threatened an indefinite hunger strike from Friday, saying Gurez deserves better healthcare, but not at the cost of medical services in Bandipora.
‎
‎The warning has brought the Health Department's deployment policy under fresh scrutiny, with questions being raised over why an existing specialist was shifted from District Hospital Bandipora to Gurez when the district hospital itself faces concerns over staffing and specialist availability.
‎
‎Representatives of the Bandipora Traders Federation and Civil Society Bandipora alleged that several doctors drawing salaries against posts in Bandipora were performing duties at other health institutions, leaving the district hospital short of permanent medical staff.
‎
‎They demanded the immediate return of such doctors and a review of the decision to deploy Dr Sheikh Firdous, a gynaecologist serving at District Hospital Bandipora, to Community Health Centre (CHC) Dawar in Gurez.
‎
‎A representative of the Traders Federation said the people of Gurez had every right to demand specialist doctors and better medical infrastructure, but questioned why the government was addressing their concerns by shifting doctors already serving patients in Bandipora.
‎
‎"Gurez deserves good healthcare, but not at the cost of Bandipora," he said, making it clear that their objection was to the deployment arrangement rather than the provision of medical facilities to the remote valley.
‎
‎The controversy stems from an October 24 order issued by the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir, temporarily deploying Dr Sheikh Firdous from District Hospital Bandipora and Dr Nusrat Nabi from Sub-District Hospital Chadoora to CHC Dawar.
‎
‎Under the same order, Dr Moseen Moneer, a medical officer with DNB training in gynaecology, was deployed to District Hospital Bandipora.
‎
‎However, the federation questioned the rationale behind shifting an existing gynaecologist from Bandipora and replacing him with another doctor, instead of making additional specialists available to Gurez without disturbing the existing arrangement.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
‎
‎The representative also alleged that District Hospital Bandipora was heavily dependent on outsourced staff and interns, raising concerns about the availability of permanent doctors, particularly during night hours.
‎
‎He said patients requiring emergency treatment should not have to struggle to find specialists at the district's principal healthcare institution.
‎
‎The allegations have raised a wider question about the actual availability of doctors against sanctioned posts in Bandipora, particularly whether personnel officially attached to the district are serving elsewhere while local patients face shortages.
‎
‎The traders demanded that the Health Department review the staffing position and ensure the physical availability of doctors against their designated posts.
‎
‎They warned that failure to address these concerns would force traders, civil society members and residents to begin a hunger strike and sit-in from Friday.
‎
‎The threatened protest comes after residents of Gurez called off their five-day hunger strike on Monday following the deployment of two gynaecologists to CHC Dawar.
‎
‎The Gurez agitation had followed the death of pregnant woman Haseena Begum and her baby earlier this month, an incident that triggered widespread concern over the absence of specialist maternity services and emergency healthcare facilities in the remote valley.
‎
‎Residents there had demanded permanent gynaecologists, a functional operation theatre, blood storage facilities and improved arrangements for emergency referrals, particularly during winter when road connectivity becomes difficult.
‎
‎While the government responded by deploying two specialists, the move has now prompted objections in Bandipora, exposing the competing demands placed on an already stretched public healthcare system.
‎
‎The dispute has also brought into focus whether temporary transfers can provide a lasting solution to specialist shortages without affecting services at the institutions from which doctors are drawn.(KNS)