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| Treatment at SKIMS becomes costlier, Cancer patients suffer | | | Bashir Assad
SRINAGAR, Aug 31: While the Central Government is providing liberal financial assistance to the State Government to upgrade healthcare infrastructure, the situation in Sher-i-Kashmir Medical Institute Soura (SKIMS) is going from bad to worst.
Director of the lone prestigious tertiary SKIMS who also runs a NGO namely Cancer Society of Kashmir, has on one hand launched endowment fund on the pretext to provide better health to cancer patients and on the other hand has ordered for charging investigation fee from the patients suffering from this deadly disease.
It merits a mention here that certain amount though nominal is being deducted from the employees of the institute including the doctors for cancer patients, even then investigation charges are being realized from poor cancer patients for the first time since the establishment of this institute. This sudden and irrational and illegitimate decision of the SKIMS management has invited severe criticism from cancer patients in particular and the people in general.
Aggrieved patients suffering from deadly cancer told Early Times that treatment in SKIMS has become unaffordable for many especially the poor.
"You know only poor people suffering from cancer go for the treatment in SKIMS while as the elite go for specialized treatment in Delhi or outside, now when the SKIMS management has started realizing investigation fee from the patients, treatment has gone costlier," a patient said.
A senior official at SKIMS on the condition of not to be named told Early Times, since the Director runs private cancer society, every overt and covert effort is being made to refer the patients there for the treatment.
"For carrying out mammography , ultrasonography and endoscopy and bronchoscopy patients are now not only charged fee but dates given for the tests are so lengthy that patients are compelled to visit cancer society for investigations," the official said.
When Regional Cancer Centre was established at SKIMS for providing hassle free treatment under single roof to the patients, people had pined hopes and thought that treatment to the deadly disease was now available locally, however, lack of vital diagnostic equipments on one hand and the callousness of the SKIMS administration have only added to the hopelessness and helplessness of the patients. Though there is a very good budgetary support besides liberal help from the Central Government, yet the fact remains that regional cancer society is not functioning up to the mark.
Though Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad recently announced Rs 37 crore for upgradation of infrastructure in the SKIMS, there is no improvement in the situation. Donations are also coming under Endowment fund but the situation remains the same, even patients are being charged now with investigation fee.
A senior cancer surgeon said that Jammu and Kashmir is the only State lacking cancer treatment pathways, cancer registry and cancer surgery departments, despite the fact that cancer is like an epidemics here.
Yet another doctor alleged that Director SKIMS was busy in minting money and the institute losing its prestige. |
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