WE THE PEOPLE
Despite SKIMS’ Neonatology Dept., being overcrowded and under-staffed offers valuable service to ailing infants
Hence people urge Authorities to provide it more Ventilators, more docs and restructure G.B.Panth Hospital
By: Rameez Makhdoomi
Srinagar: The department of Neonatology is the level II and level III Intensive Care Unit. The department handles the cases of severe birth asphyxia, septicemia with organ failure, low birth weight and extreme prematurely, pathological hyperblirubenemia, polycythemia and other metabolic and surgical problems from different hospitals of the Valley. The Department is providing Advanced Life Support for Neonates. The Neonatology department of late has started Pediatrics ICU with comprehensive pediatric care (along with level II and level III care for pediatric age group).
In order to know more about the Department, our correspondent of "Mirror of Kashmir" arrived at about 10.20 am the other day and found a large number of people waiting outside the OPD Section of Neonatology Department to get the treatment of their ailing children. Although by and large the patients and attendants had positive things to narrate about the Department, but a visit to the Department has amply proved that other child health care institutions like GB.Panth Hospital and Lal Ded Hospital have failed to provide requisite facilities and now people have started thronging the Neonatology Department of SKIMS to get their problems solved.
Irshad Ahmad, a patient attendant said, “I visited to have the check up of my child done through the department of Neonatology (SKIMS), all the way from Kokernag, as we don’t have faith on other child health care Institutions of the Valley, as my personal experience related to these child health care Institutes is awful. But here in the Neonatology Department of Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) the position is much better in both the areas of treatment as well as facilities.”
Mohammad Ismail, a patient attendant said, “We are fully contented with the treatment provided here. Perhaps the only shortcoming this Department faces is related to the area of human resource as more doctors and employees can be deployed to meet the huge influx of patients every day, especially at Out Patient department (OPD).”
Mushtaq Ahmad, a patient attendant said, “The most heartening feature of the department of Neonatology is that it is perhaps the most sophisticated department of SKIMS with ample number of electronic gadgets like ventilators and ECG machines installed in the department .The behavior of doctors is also quite excellent, as they treat a patient in a tender and sympathetic way.”
In this department one could also see those patients who required level (I) treatment that is in common parlance known as patients with minor problems which should not have been the case, as department is primarily meant for level 2 and level 3 treatments which is given to patients with major problems. But due to lack of trust on other child health care institutions of valley, people come here with their patients .Gulzar Ahmad, a patient attendant said, “My child is facing minor cough problem, I prefer to come here only, as I dont trust the other treatment points of valley meant for child health care .In Neonatology Department of SKIMS the situation is far better as compared to other child health care points of the Valley.”
Fatima, a young lady said, “The treatment and facilities provided by Department of Neonatology meet the requisite standard and as such we have not encountered any major problem. Heavy flow of patients is a normal feature here as SKIMS is the largest Hospital of our valley.”
The Head of Neonatology Department, Dr. Wajid Ali had gone for vacation when this Correspondent compiled the story. While responding to the observations made by attendants of patients, Dr Sheik Mushtaq, in -charge Head of the Institute's Neonatology Department said, “We possesses facilities that meet the desired standard and can compete with any of the best Centres of the country.We have twelve sophisticated open care systems. We have our own ultrasound and ECG machine and have three ventilators out of which two are functional .The Department ward possesses thirty two beds. I would like to point out that due to the personal interest taken by the Director of SKIMS, Dr. ABDUL Hamid Zargar the facilities in the Department have improved considerably. But to work more proficiently, we have already given requisition for installing more electronic gadgets like ventilators and open care systems, and this proposal of ours is in pipe line and moving forward positively .It is true that we have to deal with large number of patients, as the first priority of our populace related to child health care is our Neonatology Department, as they articulate that other treatment sources available in valley do not meet their desired expectations. The government should wake up and improve Lal Ded Hospital and GB.Panth hospital, as it will relieve us of heavy pressure and further increase our efficiency. Developing a child health care institute on private public partnership basis is the need of hour.”
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