Tral, Aug 14: The dearth of doctors and lack of basic infrastructure is adversely affecting the patient care in Sub- District Hospital Tral.
 “The hospital is without an Orthopedician, Gynecologist, ENT specialist, and Surgeon Specialist,” the locals told Greater Kashmir, adding the patients suffering from these ailments, who visit the hospital for consultation, have to return for want of the concerned medico.
 “An expecting mother was brought to the hospital few days back, but she was referred to Srinagar as the health institution is without a gynecologist,” locals said.
 “The residents said that hundreds of female patients, particularly the expecting mothers are suffering due to the absence of the Gynecologist in the hospital. They have to visit private clinics or hospital in Srinagar for frequent check ups during pregnancy,” a group of women told Greater Kashmir.
 According an employee in the hospital, the authorities instead of augmenting the staff was shifting the doctors from the Sub- District hospital to other health institutions. “Instead of posting more medicos, particularly the specialists inside the hospital for the benefit of the patients, the authorities shifted some of the medicos and other allied staff to other hospitals in March this year for some unknown reason,” the locals added.
 The locals said the stoppage of construction work on the Out Patients Department (OPD) building was also hindering the smooth functioning of the hospital.
  “The work on new OPD building was stopped in the year 2010 and is yet to be resumed,” the locals said. “We took up the matter with the officials of the executing agency, Jammu and Kashmir Projects Constructions Corporation (JKPCC) and urged them to restart the work at an earliest, but our repeated pleas fell on deaf ears,” the locals added.
 They said the work on the structure was started in view of the increasing rush of patients visiting the hospital for consultation.
 According to a local, Ghulam Nabi Malik, due to the absence of a proper OPD block, the rooms and corridors of the hospital are jam packed due to the huge inflow of patients. “This result in suffocation to the patients during summer days,” he said.
 When contacted, BMO Tral, Dr Prehlat Singh said “We have six Assistant Surgeons and a Gynecologist who are doing their job very well”.
 “But we are lacking the B grade Gynecologist and B Grade Surgeon Specialist. The post of ENT specialist has not been created yet,” the BMO said.
  “We have started work on solar light electric system which will provide round the clock electricity to the hospital,” Dr Prehlat Singh added.
 “The work on the OPD block was stopped due to the shortage of funds. We have sent a proposal and very soon the funds will be released and the wok on the structure would be resumed” Dr Prehlat said adding that the hospital premises would be macadamized also soon.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 14 Aug 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 15 Aug 2012 00:00:00 IST