WE THE PEOPLE
Sub-District Hospital Ganderbal lacks Diagnostic facilities, Trained Technicians and even ordinary Drugs
Hence People demand execution of proposed 200-Bedded Hospital to meet growing requirements of Patients
By: Mirror News Service
Srinagar: In our first series, we did draw a picture of the Sub-District Hospital at Ganderbal and mentioned that it is officially a 30 Bedded Hospital with eighteen doctors, who are working in the Hospital. The Hospital comprises of Causality Services, OPD, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics and Gynecology, but the quality of care available to the patients in the Hospital is far from prescribed Health-Standards.
The Medical and Para-medical personnel available are much less than that required by the Prescribed Norms; the equipment in the Hospital is non-functional and the buildings are in a dilapidated condition. As far as Indoor treatment facilities, again the equipment is obsolescent; the availability of essential drugs minimal; and thus the availability of the facilities is grossly inadequate, which leads to over-crowding, and consequentially to the deterioration in the quality of the services.
It needs to be stated that apart from having eighteen docs, the Hospital has eight nurses; one permanent Laboratory Technician (other four are working by debit to the Hospital Development Fund) and two ambulances-of which one is non- functional. The daily patient inflow to the Hospital is about three hundred in the OPD. Though a huge rush of patients visiting the Hospital, the doctors available remain under constant pressure due to overload of work and hence the quality of treatment and diagnosis to the patients always remains questionable.
Pertinent to mention that the Sub-District hospital Ganderbal is the lone government hospital meant to cater to health facilities to an estimated population of about five lakhs. Hence there is a big gap between the supply and demand. The influx of patients is far greater than the available facilities, which speaks much about the wisdom of our Planners.
It is unfortunate that the Hospital does not have blood bank facility which at times forces the docs to refer the serious cases to other City Hospitals for treatment. Also the Hospital has a serious shortage of qualified Technicians, who could handle the modern gadgets. There is complete mess of work culture, as one man has to perform several functions.
It is ironical that a Pharmacist has to perform the functions of a Store- keeper also. Similarly others' who are working in the Hospital have to play twin roles; hence a compromising nature of duties has been done by a number of paramedical staff. No emphasis is laid on the quality of work.
Therefore the authorities should take up these issues seriously and provide requisite services to the patients without any further delay. There should be no dearth of the paramedics and other personnel like- Lab Technicians, Radio Diagnosis Technicians, Physiotherapists.
Besides there is need of enforcement of punctuality.Frequent check needs to be exercised over the number of attendants; entry of polythene bags and offences like smoking in public areas and that too within the premises of the Hospital need to be curbed. Though a new operation theater and ward block has been constructed, but most of its rooms and washrooms have been kept locked. The old building is shabby and lacks cleanliness.
An employee working in the Hospital wished not to be named said, "Though the government has announced the construction of a 200 bedded Hospital and allocated 83 kanals of land for the said project but it is likely to take time. Till its completion the government has to cater the needs of its existing Hospital, Otherwise various problems are bound to surface in the Hospital, and till then the patients shall continue to suffer in one way or the other."
Moreover, the Hospital does not have a Medical Superintendent and is headed by Block Medical officer Dr. Mehraj-u-Din. According to Ghulam Hassan Sofi, a Pharmacist in the Hospital, the BMO has to take care of other Blocks as well like at Tulmulla; Chandna; Shuhama; Nunar, Khachan etc which hinders in addressing the core issues in the Hospital.
Hence People demand execution of proposed 200-Bedded Hospital to meet growing requirements of Patients, who are supposed to throng the Hospital from different parts of this District.
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