Srinagar, Apr 29: Unlike what’s happening at other Government Medical College Srinagar run hospitals in the City, the Bones and Joints Hospital Barzulla charges the admitted patients for every treatment including tests and dressing something unheard of since 19th century when the Dogra rulers are believed to have introduced allopathic medical treatment in the Valley.
 From getting repeated X-Rays done to tests for blood counts or dressing, the hospitalized patients, as per the hospital sources, are being charged on every front for the past few months.
 “To some it may not look any big issue but it carries weight for poor patients who don’t have that much of financial resources,” said a senior medico requesting not to be named.
 Similar were the complaints of patients. Ghulam Muhammad of Kupwara said he had to sell his blanket to get his ailing brother’s X-Rays done for fractured leg, with each scan costing around Rs 40.
 “I had to get six X-Rays of my brother done because doctors weren’t convinced with the reports. But little could they realize that I had no money but finally sold my traditional blanket to a co-attendant to get some cash,” he said.
 Senior medicos too are all fire over the issue saying the hospital administration was playing “more loyal than the king to please their bosses.”
 “Basically many of the officials in the administration have over served their tenure and were bound to be transferred but to show the government that they were generating more revenue, they initiated this levying of charges,” said a leading surgeon requesting not to be named.
 Taking a dig at the government, he said tests and some others procedures used to be free of cost since the Dogra rule. “Even the tyrant Maharajas had kept such facilities free but by fleecing patients on every step in this hospital is nothing better than a private nursing home,” he said.
 “For that matter calling it a government hospital is no less than misguiding the patients because they mistake it as a place where treatment comes almost free of cost,” he added.
 Sources said other GMC run hospitals like Lal Ded Hospital provide such tests free of cost to the patients as used to be the case in the past.
 But the B&J hospital administration pleads the decision. “We haven’t done it of our own but have strict written directions from the government to charge the patients,” the hospital Medical Superintendent Dr AR Badoo told Greater Kashmir.
 To a question that other GMC associated hospitals weren’t adhering to such “advises”, he said: “It’s there prerogative. As for me, I am responsible for my hospital.”

Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST