Syed Tahir Bukhari
KUPWARA, Oct 27: Sub District Hospital lacks proper nursing and paramedical staff, whereas the doctors give preference to the private practice, primary health centers are not well equipped with modern facilities and patients are suffered due to the callous attitude of authorities in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.
According to sources, there are more or less 30 public health centers (PHCs) in Kupwara district which are less functional, and there is also a shortage of more than fifty assistant surgeons, and during emergencies they have to move other districts of the valley.
Local resident of Lolab, Mohammad Maqbool Khan told Early Times that SDH Kupwara is lacking of paramedical staff and in the absence of a specialist doctor at the health centre, we visit other nursing homes in and around the district for treatment.
The PHC in our village lacks X-ray and USG machines and for such tests we have to visit Kupwara hospital, which is around 22 km from here, he added. However, he said that, many times in past we were forced to visit the private nursing homes in Srinagar for treatment, due to lack of specialist doctors at the PHCs, whereas we were not having any other option, except to move to Srinagar.
Locals of Zadipora, Bungam, Batpora and Trumnar alleged the hospital authorities are in deep slumber and due to their negligence we suffered a lot.
Recaptured past moments Ghulam Mohammad Dar of Batpora said that my wife Raja, 37 was admitted at Kupwara District Hospital. She underwent a caesarian and delivered a live female baby.
On the very next morning she was referred to Lal Ded Hospital Srinagar after she complained of chest pain. Upon reaching LD hospital, doctors declared her brought dead" said an agitated Dar.
According to him that in past we appealed to our local MLA's and even though we approached the health minister to provide facilities at the health centre in Kupwara district, but of no avail.
However senior official from Health Department of Kupwara, on condition of anonymity told Early Times that there is a shortage of medical staff, including doctors.
Further replying to a question he said that there should have been three assistant surgeons in public health centers, and I agree that PHCs in the district is lacking of assistant surgeons and other paramedical staff. but it is also true that we are working round the clock to ensure better healthcare facilities to patients, he said.
Residents of many local areas complained that the Sub District Hospital (SDH) lacks the proper nursing staff, and the doctors give preference to private practices, there is hardly seen any doctor present in the night hours at these PHCs. "Under the norms, a PHC should have a requisite staff of, at least three assistant surgeons, one pharmacist, and four nursing orderly, one junior nurse, two female Multi Purpose Health Workers (MPHW) drivers, and an ambulance. Most of the PHCs in the district lack services of an assistant surgeon and other necessary medical staff, they said. |
