Srinagar, June 23: The unchecked entry of visitors into Government Medical College (GMC) associated hospitals in the City has been affecting the healthcare facilities there, medicos complained.
 According to officials, around Rs 42 lakhs are being spent on the hospital security,  which has been outsourced to some private agency.  The duty of security personnel manning the gates is to restrict the “unnecessary flow of attendants”.
 The medicos in the GMC associated hospitals said that huge attendant inflow was detrimental for the functioning of the institutions.
 A senior doctor at SMHS hospital said that on an average everyday around 4000 attendants visit the hospital. “Not only consultations with doctors but the other services too are affected by the huge rush of attendants,” he said. “Firstly the treatment is not promptly executed by doctors as attendants huddle around patient’s which makes it difficult to examine them,” he added.
 The problem is compounded by the number of vehicles which remain parked outside the hospital building.  “Even auto-rickshaws are running from inside the hospital premises. It becomes quite tedious for ambulances carrying patients to rush in,” the medicos said adding “there needs to be space for rescue teams.”
 Sources at valley’s sole maternity hospital, Lal Ded Hospital stated that around 5000 attendants visit the place everyday. They said hospital corridors, staircases and wards remain flooded with attendants rather than patients. “Sometime back even drug addicts were seen moving around there… Besides male attendants have access to almost all the wards including labor room thereby creating an awkward situation for the females,” said a medico.
 At children’s hospital, the GB Pant Hospital, the situation is no different. It was learnt in the hospital that attendants even frequent Intensive care Unit where entry has to be strictly restricted. Insiders in the hospital said: “It has become routine for everyone to work in this odd system here.”
  “If we object it leads to brawls with the attendants,” they added. Observers said there needs to be a stringent security policy to check the “uncontrolled attendant inflow.”
 When contacted Principal Government Medical College admitted that the patient care suffers due to the rush of attendants. “The agency outsourced for security is not functioning up to mark,” she told Greater Kashmir.
 “More the number of attendants, it becomes difficult for doctors to work.  It affects healthcare delivery system. Now we have approached the government to engage trained SPO’s so that action can be taken against the violators,” she added.
 The security agency, she said, has not deployed sufficient staff in the hospitals.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 IST