Srinagar, July 18: The one-man commission constituted to probe the affairs of GB Pant Hospital has submitted its final report to government, indicting the former Medical Superintendent (MS) of the hospital Dr Javaid Choudhary for the mess and subsequent deaths of babies. The commission comprising of Director SKIMS Dr Showkat Ahmad Zargar has recommended overhauling the system in the hospital and has said the institution was without manpower, administrative head and staff lacked accountability.
The report was submitted to government Wednesday morning. The government is going to discuss the report on July 24 and Dr Zargar has also been asked to join the deliberations. “Due to inefficiency of the former MS of the hospital there had been crisis and subsequent deaths,” the report says, according to reliable sources in civil secretariat.
“He had not taken interest in hospital affairs. Most of the times the MS remained out of hospital. Rest of the staff has taken advantage of his absence and used to come to the hospital as per their wish. Besides Dr Choudhary, other doctors too were merely seen at the hospital and were engaged in private practice,” adds the report.
The report says that the MS never inquired about the presence or absence of doctors. “Most of deaths have taken place during nights. During nights only the trainee doctors were put on job,” says the report, adding that there were no senior doctors to treat the babies brought to the hospital during late hours.
With no full-time administrator, the report says, the hospital staff including the paramedics had no accountability. “It has also created lots of problems in terms of discipline, procurement of essential drugs in time, equipment and overall maintenance at all levels in the hospital,” Dr Zargar has said in the report.
The report, sources said, has also indicted Dr  Dr Choudhary in embezzlement of funds in purchase of machinery for the hospital. “The ventilators have been purchased through dubious means and were not of standard. One among the two developed snag and hospital was running on one ventilator,” says the report.
Dr Zargar, sources said, has that the government needed to work on alternatives to ease the pressure on the hospital. “There are some flaws in the hospital on issues like ventilation and insanitary conditions. Besides, the security staff can’t be seen discharging their duties properly, which adds to the problem,” the report has said.
The report has said that the hospital is deficient in staff. “It lacks doctors, nurses, other paramedical and technical staff,” the report says and has recommended the filling up the posts on war footing basis. “There is acute shortage of space and beds,” says the report.
The government has admitted that 480 infants died at GB Pant Hospital from January this year up to May 3 taking the total death toll during the past 17 months to an alarming 1400.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST