Greater Kashmir Publish Date: Jan 30 2016 12:45AM | Updated Date: Jan 30 2016 12:45AM
The District Hospital here lacks facilities and infrastructure to cater to rush of patients every day, doctors and local residents said on Friday.
The hospital runs from two single-storeyed old buildings and lacks most of the basic facilities, insiders told Greater Kashmir.
There are 21 doctors working in the hospital. “There is only a single operation table in the lone operation theatre in the hospital. And on the same single table all procedures are being performed on alternate days,” a doctor said on the condition of anonymity.
“If two patients need a surgical procedure at a time, one patient is referred to Srinagar,” he said.
To address scarcity of medical staff, the employees from other sub district hospitals are attached to the district hospital, a source said.
Hundreds of patients from different Primary Health Centres are referred to the hospital daily but due to lack of equipment and other facilities, most of them are in turn referred to Srinagar hospitals, insiders said.
All tests at the hospital are done manually as there is no analyzer in any department.
As per the WHO, old hospital buildings should be demolished as there are more chances of infection, a medico said.
Importantly, the work on a new building of the hospital was started in 2005 and is yet to be completed.
“There should be at least 25 specialists here, but we have only four in place as well as sanctioned,” a medical officer said.
In the hospital, there are no facilities like CT scan, MRI or digital X Ray.
“Hundreds of patients daily face problems and most of them are forced to go to other districts or private clinics for these medical examinations,” a group of locals told Greater Kashmir.
The hospital has no oxygen facility, they said.
There are no medicines available and poor people are asked to buy these from the market.
“We now ask the patients to bring all medicines, syringes and cotton from the market though we get many medicines on emergency basis,” the medical officer said.
There are only 21 doctors in position in the hospital including physicians, specialists and anesthetists. There is no ENT specialist there. There is no blood bank in the hospital.
“If a person wishes to donate blood, he cannot do so because there is no blood bank or storing facility,” an employee said.
The ambulances in the hospital are without heaters, causing problems to patients in winters.
Medical Superintendant of the hospital, Dr Muneer admitted the hospital is faced with many problems. He said they see a huge number of patients every day and “are trying to put all the facilities in place.”
