WE THE PEOPLE
Despite SKIMS’s Deptt of Community Medicine rendering valuable service, lacks bed strength, labs and toilet facilities
Hence people demand strengthening its infrastructure and manpower to meet growing demand of patients
By: R. Makhdoomi
Srinagar: The department of Community Medicine of Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) provides services in the field of Maternal & Child Health through its OPD and inpatient complex at erstwhile Trust Hospital. It also provides Preventive Ophthalmic and Preventive Dental health services, but these services are provided as ancillary services as the basic thrust of the department is on Obstetricians & Gynecology aspects. This department is located in separate building about half a kilometer distance from main building of SKIMS, in many ways its like a mini hospital. The department is committed to administrative, technical and supervisory support on continuous basis to the Hajin Health Block, thereby providing health care to the defined rural segment network of peripheral health institutions attached to Block-Hajin. The department has of late organized at SKIMS auditorium several AIDS awareness programmes. The department provides under graduate and post graduate teaching also. The department is in the process of planning epidemiological and nutrition at postgraduate level.
To know more about the department, this correspondent of "Mirror of Kashmir" arrived at about 10.30 am the other day and found large number of people waiting at the main entrance to go inside to have a knowhow of their maternity patients. There are lots of lacunaes that one could easily identify. Insufficient bedding, Lack of toilet facility, inadequate parking facility, less space and above all large number of attendants accompanying a single patient and this factor not only influences negatively the functioning of this department, but also probably indicates a lack of civic sense prevalent in our society.
Patients and their attendants have their own problems to narrate. Ali Mohammad Naik, a patient attendant said, “My daughter has given birth to a child and I have been here for past fourteen hours, although cleanliness is quite satisfactory, but police personnel deputed at the gate are not allowing us to go inside. They are behaving rudely and we are not allowed to sit in the small scenic park just located near the entrance for some unknown reasons.” Abdul Hamid rather, a patient attendant said, “My wife was pregnant and she was forced to sit on bare cemented floor before undergoing a caesarian operation. I was able to get suitable treatment and bedding for my wife only after garnering approach, nothing happens here without personal approach”. Bashir Ahmad Niyazi, a patient attendant said, “It is shameful to note that the pivotal department of SKIMS (Community Medicine) being located in separate building does not have toilet facility, the bedding facility is also quite inadequate and parking facility too is inadequate.” Gulzar Ahmad, a patient said, “I had come here in connection with my tooth problem; but wa dismayed to see lot of deficiencies in the hospital. We on our part should also corporate and a patient should be accompanied by just one or two attendants and not more than that, as it affects functioning of the hospital very badly.”
On the other side of the spectrum, there were many who had just positives to narrate .Hajra Bibi, a patient attendant said, “MY daughter just gave birth to a baby child in this hospital; I am very much pleased with the behavior of doctors and no monetary demands were made by nursing staff after delivery which is, otherwise, a normal feature in other government maternity hospitals of the valley.” Imtiyaz Ahmad, a patient attendant said, “Considering strength, space and especially the number of areas that community medicine department has to deal with; the overall efficiency from this angle looks quite satisfactory.”
While talking to “Mirror of Kashmir”, the Head of Department Community Medicine and Superintend of the Hospital- Dr. Imtiyaz Ali said, “We are just a twenty seven bedded hospital and out of this only three beds are meant for Labor Room or delivery purposes. we have a small bathroom for female folk, but it is true that standard bathroom facility at present is non-existent .We don’t believe in any favoritism, the matter of fact is that due to scare bedding facility many have to suffer .It is true that we don’t allow the attendants of patients to sit in the front park; this is just because of cosmetic purpose as we want to maintain the scenic look of the Hospital. The other side of the Park is open for people to relax. But, let me inform through your medium that despite some shortcomings of the Department, there is lot of hope in future, as the construction of the other Hospital just next to this for Community Medicine purposes with special focus on gynecological cases is going on and construction of bathroom complex is underway. We appeal to government through your esteemed medium to speed up the work on these projects, as the pace of work for sometime has slowed down. I would also appeal to the masses of Kashmir to maintain discipline in hospitals and request them that number of attendants accompanying a patient should not exceed two. Ironically at present a large number of attendants accompany a single patient which hampers the functioning of hospital.”
Considering the ground realities of the Community Medicine Department, it becomes crystal clear that while authorities have to do a lot to meet expectations of masses, people have also to imbibe discipline and civic sense to let our premier institutions achieve the pinnacle.
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