 SARFRAZ CHAK
Early Times Report
POONCH, May 22: Irked over the non-functional ultrasound machine at Sub-District Hospital (SDH) in Mandi, the locals of tehsil Mandi in district Poonch have expressed grave resentment against the Health Department officials for their negligence and irresponsible attitude towards patients care.
Locals said that the ultrasound machine at SDH Mandi is not working for the last over two months due to which the poor patients of the area are suffering a lot but the health department as well as the district administration is not paying any attention to restore the facility. They said that the people are coming to Mandi Hospital from far flung belts of Mandi on foot because there is non-availability of transportation due to lockdown but on reaching the health institution they are unable to avail the facility of the ultrasound which is out of order for the last two months adding that ultrasound facility is necessary for diagnoses of several ailments.
Locals of the area said that the SDH Mandi caters to patient-care of around 1.75 lakh population in the area. With no other ultrasound machine available in the hospital, several patients especially pregnant women are facing a lot of hardships, the locals said.
When contacted, Block Medical Officer, Mandi, Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Bukhari said that the machine was beyond repair. “We even had brought engineers to fix it, but it is beyond repair, he said, adding, we have passed an order to procure a new ultrasound machine. It’s expected to arrive soon.”
Locals urged DDC Poonch Rahul Yadav and Director Health Services Jammu to look into the matter and issue necessary instructions to restore the facility.
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