Srinagar, Apr 5: In what could be described as an alarming increase in the number of people suffering from various ailments across the Valley, as many as 75,89,026 visits have been by patients in the Out Patient Departments of different government hospitals in Kashmir during last year to undergo medical examination and subsequent treatment.
 According to the figures gathered by Government Medical College, 14,36,458 patients visited the OPDs of its biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, micro-biology, pathology, pharmacology, social and preventive medicine, forensic, ENT, ophthalmology, gynecology an obstetrician , surgery, medicine, pediatrics, anesthesiology, anatomy, chest medicine, general medicine, dermatology, orthopedics, psychiatry, radio-diagnosis and radio therapy departments in eight associated hospitals in the City including Shri Maharaja Hari Singh, Lal Ded, Bone and Joint, G B Panth, Chest Disease, Psychiatric Disease, Maternity Home and Chitranjan Mobile.
 SMHS, the collected data reveals received most patients (644115) in OPD. 
 The medicos at tertiary care SK Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura also treated an overwhelming 4.94 lakh patients in the OPD during last year. 
 However, the health institutions, sub-district and district hospital run by the Directorate of Health Service Kashmir across the Valley, have received a major chunk of patients in 2010. The DHSK figures reveal that 56,58,568 patients visited the OPDs in these centres wherein they were provided treatment by the doctors. “The maximum number (1130746) of patients visited the health centres in Baramulla district while as Shopian received 192595, Bandipora 324862, Kulgam 457492, Ganderbal 437546, Budgam 722958, Islamabad (Anantnag) 666820, Pulwama 484873, Kupwara 641919, and Srinagar 598149,” the data reveals.
 The number of people admitted in these hospitals for specialized treatment has also show surge with 624675 admitted in these health institutions. “The associated hospitals of GMC have treated 242427 patients in their In Patient Departments during last year,” the figure reveal while SKIMS has treated 54,800 patients in its wards. The DHSK figures reveal that its health centres had admitted 327448 patients for treatment across the Kashmir with number of admission (60998) in Islamabad (Anantnag) topping list. Other district wherein patients were treated in IPD include: Shopian 13498, Bandipora 13028, Kulgam 42762, Ganderbal 16215, Budgam 45859, Baramulla 48720, Pulwama 22694, Kupwara 53002 and Srinagar 10651. 
 These hospitals have also conducted 221175 surgeries of people suffering from different diseases. “The hospitals of DHSK have operated 111734 patients (17104 major and 94630 minor), GMC hospitals 97241 (42198 major and 55043 minor) and SKIMS 12200,” the figures reveal. 
 The medicos told Greater Kashmir that last year’s unrest curtailed the number of patients visiting OPDs across the Valley drastically. “Frequent curfews and strikes forced the patients to stay indoors and resort to self medication or receive treatment from the owner of nearby chemist shops,” they said, the number of patients otherwise could have been much more.
 Acknowledging that there had been phenomenal increase in the number of ailing people in Kashmir over the years, Head of the Department Medicine, SMHS, Dr Ghazanfar Ali said, “The prevalence of diseases including hypertension, depression, diabetes, heart ailments and other have increased across the Valley due to the present conflict and other environmental factors. Unemployment, rising prices, economic deprivation and lack of socializing have also given rise to many diseases which were otherwise absent in Valley.”  He said the number of OPD visits by ailing persons could be more than that as the patients come for follow up visits which were not recorded by the hospital staff. 

Lastupdate on : Tue, 5 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 5 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 6 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST