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| Fire incidents galore in SKIMS; Life of patients, attendants at risk | | | Majid Ahmad
SRINAGAR, Oct 26: While rampant corruption and mismanagement in Valley's lone super-speciality hospital Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) is a well known fact now, the mysterious fire incidents in the hospital in the last few months have put the life of patients and their attendants at risk.
Here are a few examples:
On September 27 at about 4.45 PM fire outbreak in Ward 3P which within no time extended to Ward 4P and Ward 5P. The patients had to be evacuated in hurry and the fire damaged wooden structures and windows.
On September 9 at around 5.30 PM fire broke near Boiler House of Support Services Block. Again on September 16 fire broke up near ramp of the hospital building and next day on September 17 at 9.15 PM fire broke at the main gate of administrative block.
The rise in mysterious fire incidents within the hospital premises has put a question mark on the safety measures of patients and the attendants.
"There should be a proper probe by police as who is involved in such incidents. It seems some officials in the SKIMS want to destroy the records of purchases where they are indulged in corruption," sources told ET.
Officials said the hospital lacks basic safety norms like sprinklers, a smoke management system and compartmentalization of rooms to prevent the spread of fire.
"The SKIMS which is visited by thousands of people every day is ill prepared to handle a major fire outbreak. Though in recent fire incidents no one was injured, but the institute may not always have luck on its side. The risk of a fire outbreak occurring in the hospital is very high," they added.
A senior medico wishing anonymity said that it seems that Director SKIMS Dr Showkat Zargar is himself interested in such incidents.
"It gives him a chance to make more money by bypassing the codal formalities for new purchases. He gets it done through Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr. Reyaz Ahmad Rangrez. The nexus between the Director and contractors through Dr. Rangrez is to create opportunities to earn money by hook or crook," he alleged.
He claimed that the hospital authorities were only interested in those purchases where there is huge margin for kickbacks. "And next to purchases the Director and his coterie are interested in re-employing retired people in the SKIMS. The patient care is least priority in the SKIMS," he added.
The patients alleged that due to the rampant corruption in the SKIMS the condition of the super-speciality hospital was going from bad to worse. "There should be a probe by a sitting High Court judge as why despite liberal funding by the Government the premiere healthcare institute is going from bad to worse," they demanded. |
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