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| Second attack around Srinagar's SMHS hospital in 10 days | | Lack of security in valley hospitals cause of concern | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Feb 12: In less than 10 days, militants have chosen vicinity of SMHS hospital in Karan Nagar locality of Srinagar to target security forces, thus indicating that hospitals are vulnerable to attacks in the valley. Last week, a 22-year-old Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant escaped in dramatic style from the custody of jail officials after his associates opened fire on his escorts, when he was brought to the hospital for a check-up.
While on Monday, militants attacked a CRPF camp outside the SMHS hospital Srinagar in which one CRPF man was killed.
Rajesh Yadav, a spokesman for the Central Reserve Police Force, said the building near the camp in Srinagar where Monday's attack occurred has been cleared of all civilians. However, the attack clearly indicated that hospitals were not even safe in the valley.
"The attendants and patients faced immense inconveniences during the day. The camp is just few hundred feet away from SMHS hospital," Abdul Rashid, who is accompanying his aging father at SMHS hospital said.
He said that patients and attendants were scared due to the attack. "We heard loud explosions whole day. We were not able to move out of the hospital," he said.
Sources said that authorities at Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar, have asked the state government to enhance the security at its associated hospitals, including SMHS Hospital.
GMC principal Samia Rashid had written twice in 2017 to the state government to enhance the security of the associated hospitals "to safeguard the infrastructure along with patients and staff."
Last week in the aftermath of attack, she also wrote to Principal Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Pawan Kotwal, to provide an effective security system in the associated hospitals of the GMC.
She has asked that in future the detainees should be taken to the police hospital for health check-up due to security reasons.
Sources said that CCTV cameras would be installed at several places in Srinagar.
An official of the police department said that CCTVs were already installed at several places in Srinagar for security but many were defunct. The faculty members in hospitals have also demanded several times that proper security be places in hospitals.
"We feel insecure in our hospitals. Two attacks in the last 10 days is an eye opener. The staff members are being often attacked by attendants. The outsiders come to the hospital in the late evening hours then harass the female staff members," the female doctor said, wishing anonymity. |
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