WE THE PEOPLE
District Hospital Budgam Lacks Scientific disposal for Biomedical wastes and space for burial of human organs
Hence People urge Govt.; to develop its infrastructural facilities to meet growing rush of patients
By: Mirror of Kashmir
Srinagar: The ‘Health Sector’ occupies prominent place in the Administrative Structure and as such, we have been peeping through this Sector to know level of performance of different Hospitals located in different districts of Kashmir valley. Today we take our Readers to Budgam District, where the lone Hospital was constructed in 1992 and renamed as Aga Syed Yousaf Memorial Hospital to cater to an estimated population of about five lakhs. It is officially a 70 Beded Hospital and 43 doctors among other Paramedics are working. The Hospital consists of Causality Services, OPD, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics and Gynecology. Besides, the Hospital provides facilities of Indian System of Medicines (AYUSH)-Homeopathy & Unani and MSF counselling facility (medicines sans Francis-Doctors without Borders).
The survey has revealed that about 400 to 500 patients visit the OPD daily. Owing to lack of prescribed Doctor-Patient ratio, the patient-care is not up to the mark and the doctors available in the Hospital remain under stress and strain. A practicing Doctor in the Hospital, wished not to be named said, “The Health Sector is the basic priority which needs to be addressed seriously and the Hospitals are the basic units which are supposed to be upgraded in terms of infrastructure and man-power. There is an acute shortage of man power on the one hand and increasing rush of patients on the other side”. He further added that, “Though there are 6 Private Nursing Homes and some 40 Public Health Centers and Sub-centers in the district Budgam, of which most of these Nursing Homes lie in the adjacent areas of Srinagar. Also the Public Health Centers are meant for the treatment of minor ailments, but patients coming from nearly 470 villages prefer to get treated in the district Hospital only”.
While talking to the Medical Superintendent Doctor Nazir Ahmad about the shortage of man-power, he said, “Since this district is in close proximity of Srinagar so people living near the peripheral areas of Srinagar prefer to go Srinagar. Though there is shortage of man-power, yet it is not of high magnitude that the visiting patients cannot be treated. We are doing our best to satisfy our patients in the best possible manner. Instead of increasing staff strength, I believe in making the already available staff more accountable to perform their job; to give their 100 percent output and in this way we can improve our quality.” He further said, “Since we have a bed-capacity of about 70 patients and on an average only 30 to 40 beds remain occupied, so there are not serious repercussions of overload all the time”.
The surgeries related orthopedics, gynecology and general cases are done in this Hospital. Only those cases are referred to SKIMS or other related Hospitals which do have CT Scan facility available. Similarly all possible cases of gynecology and deliveries are almost done here. Only critical cases are referred to Lal Ded Hospital, but the question arises about the disposal of biomedical wastes. Doctor Nazir Ahmad Said, “We do not have the incinerator, the wastes in terms of human organs or the placenta in cases of deliveries etc are buried in the land, while rest of the wastes is taken by the local municipality.”
Hence People urge Govt.; to develop its infrastructural facilities to meet growing rush of patients, who come from far-flung areas of the district, which is spread over both plain and hilly terrains.(To be continued)
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