Srinagar, Apr 9: Valley’s sole children hospital – the GB Pant hospital –catering to hundreds of patient’s everyday is running short of vital supplies including X-ray films and diagnostic reagents. This shortage is putting the patients to inconvenience.
 Hospital sources said for the past three days no X-ray has been performed at the hospital.
 “In absence of the X-Ray films, the patients have to get the test done from outside,” said a hospital employee, wishing anonymity.
 Several attendants who were craving for getting X-ray performed of their patients were all fire against the hospital authorities saying they are being denied the basic facility.
  “My son is only five days old in ventilator here. We were asked to get his X-Ray performed. For three days I am coming to the lab only to hear the films are not available,” said an attendant Muhammad Iqbal of Shopian.
 Same views were echoed by attendant Reyaz Ahmad in the hospital with MRD No 613. He said:  “Doctors don’t allow me to take my child to private clinic for X-ray’.
 A medico in the hospital said they have already informed the authorities at Government Medical College of this shortage.
 “But till now we have not received any response,” he added.
 He said the shortage of the films reoccurs every year.
 “We have written to Principal GMC about this matter. Our budget is limited, but the patient strength is heavy now it’s for them to decide about our requirements,” the medico said.
 As per the insiders, there’s also a shortage of laboratory reagents due to which some of the tests couldn’t be done there.
 “More than 200 tests were being performed everyday. But due to the shortage of several regents, mere around 50 tests are being done,” he said adding there was also a shortage of slides.
 The Deputy Medical Superintendent, Dr Tejinder Singh said the heavy patient inflow lead to exhausting of the supplies.
 “These problems are being faced as a result of heavy patient rush in the hospital as against the normal capacity 135,” he said.
 However, he refuted the complaints of drug shortage saying “due to shot expiry date, we purchase them on day to day bases.”
  “The X-Ray films were short but we arranged it through local purchase,” he told Greater Kashmir.
 When contacted the Principal, Government Medical College and Associated Hospitals, Dr Shahida Mir said such problems were being faced at the end of financial year.
 “Things are improving and we are expecting budget in next 8-10 days. The order for X-ray films has been placed which would be available now. But as far as reagents are concerned, they are costly. So we are going to charge certain amount from patients for this service,” the principal told Greater Kashmir.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 9 Apr 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 9 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:00:00 IST