Srinagar, Dec 20 (KNS): The district hospital Handwara, which caters hundreds of patients on daily basis and is supposed to provide necessary treatment to the patients, has almost become defunct because of shortage of medicines, doctors and paramedical staff.
The non-availability of adequate facilities has hit the patient care at the hospital.
According to KNS correspondent the patients and their attendants said that there are no life saving drugs available, besides the hospital is without emergency and first-aid drugs.
KNS learnt that the attendants have to purchase the drugs like infusion set, syringes and other items from open market due to non-availability in the hospital.
"It looks like a private hospital. We have to buy everything from the market even syringes. We are poor people from remote hamlets of Handwara. We cannot afford to purchase these medicines from market,” said Gulzar Ahmed a local.
Another patient Ghulam Rasool said he was asked to purchase injections from the market.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel“We don’t have stock of these drugs here,” he quoted a hospital official saying.
The attendants also said because of the poor administration at the hospital, the patients have to face hardships as hardly among the hospital staff is supportive towards their problems.
Ghulam Ahmad, one among the complainants from Kandi told KNS that the behaviour of the Medical Superintendent of the hospital is ‘deplorable’.
Repeated attempts to contact Medical Superintendent of the hospital proved futile. His phone was continuously out of network coverage.
Director health services Kashmir Dr Saleem-u-Rehman said he has taken cognizance of the report. “I will send a high level team led by Deputy Director to the hospital. We will take action against those officials against whom there are complaints,” he said. (KNS)