| It is functioning with 10 pc staff, without doctors, medicines | | Bhaderwah SDH cries for attention | |  Mohd Majid Malik
Early Times Report
BHADERWAH, Aug 18: Contrary to the tall claims of the state government of having streamlined the healthcare delivery system in every nook and corner of the State, Sub-District Hospital (SDH), Bhaderwah, is faced with acute shortage of staff, including doctors.
The general public is facing a lot of hardships as the newly constructed SDH here has no adequate staff. It can be termed as an excellent example of governmental apathy.
The people of far-flung Sartingal, Thanala, Seri , Cherrala, Bhalla, Malothi, Dharafra, Chinta and Chakrabati villages who come to the hospital have to wait in long queues at the OPDs as there is only one NRHM doctor. The hapless people keep waiting for hours together.
The hospital is being manned by hardly 10 pc of the staff out of the total sanctioned strength, according to official sources.
There are a few NRHM doctors and all other posts of the specialists are lying vacant in the hospital. Despite repeated requests of locals and so-called efforts by the local legislators, no improvement has been witnessed.
The new SDH, Bhaderwah, was set up to provide quality medicare to people of the area but it is quite dismaying to note that this "state-of-the-art" hospital has failed to live to the expectations of people. This is due to a number of reasons which include shortage of doctors and para medical staff. Besides, the patients who can be treated at this hospital are reffered to either District Hospital Doda or to GMCH, Jammu.
The dearth of doctors and lack of diagnostic facilities in the sub-district hospital here is causing inconvenience to the patients.
Locals said the shortage had further worsened on account of the transfer of doctors out of the area."In the recent state-wide reshuffling of doctors, some doctors were posted here one and a half months ago but most of them are yet to join", the locals alleged, adding that the government cannot escape responsibility just by admitting that there is shortage of medicos. "Adequate measures need to be taken at the earliest to save precious lives", they said."Under the present circumstances, the doctors refer patients requiring emergency care outside of the district which often costs their lives due to delay in treatment", they said.
The hospital is ill-equipped and understaffed with inadequate medical facilities," locals said. Medical Assistants and lower staff are mostly seen attending to the patients. The costly medical equipments are rusting in the stores of the hospital as there is no expert to handle them. Even during this harsh and prolonged winter season the patients have to rush to either Doda or Jammu for treatment even for minor diseases.
"The medicines have to purchased from the market. Is this the service the Bhaderwah hospital is providing to humanity that too for the people of far flung areas of this hilly belt? Is this the development in medical sector in this area for which our leaders often say that development of far flung areas, remote areas is the priority of administration. The administration should look into the ground realities and should provide necessary staff so as this hospital could function in a better way and poor patients of this area can be treated here properly," locals said.
The posts of one female medical officer, and one each post of senior medical officer, orthopedic surgeon, medical specialist, eye specialist, ENT specialist,Gynecology, pathologist, and radiologist are vacant. People are compelled to cover long distances to visit either district Hospital or GMCH, Jammu.
"Constructing concrete buildings with big glassy windows is of no use, if it fails in its primary objective of treating patientsCT scan (computerized tomography) machine is installed at the SDH but surprising till date it has not conducted a single test," sources said.
Sources informed that some years back Director Health Services Jammu had installed CT scan machine at SDH Bhaderwah but due to a technical snag the machine yet not functioning. "The CT scan single slice machine worth more than Rs 1 cr procured by state government in 2012 for this health institution, and it was installed in 2013 is still not operational, besides owing to non-availability of expert to operate the same", sources said, adding that such type of machine has one of the fastest and most accurate tools for examining the chest, abdomen, pelvis and also helpful to examine serious patients. But due the lackadaisical approach of health department, the machine was dumped in a corner of hospital.
Health minister Lal Singh was not available for comments. |
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