Srinagar, June 12: Under sharp criticism for around 500 infant deaths at the GB Pant children’s hospital this year, the Medical Education Department (MED) has virtually passed the buck on to the Health Department for its “failure to provide adequate paediatric facilities in the rural areas.”
“Almost 95 percent of patients admitted in GB Pant hospital come from the under-serviced rural belts as there are chronically inadequate paediatric facilities available in such areas,” reads the report submitted by MED to  the Legislative Assembly panel probing the death of infants at the hospital.
Curiously, the MED has even invoked the CIA’s world factbook data about global infant mortality to justify tragic death of newborn babies at GB Pant hospital here.
The house panel was asked by speaker Muhammad Akbar Lone to look into the “messy affairs” of the GB Pant hospital following a petition by PDP legislators - Peerzada Mansoor and Basharat Bukhari.
“As the new born/infants are being shifted to GB Pant Hospital from the backward, rural and inaccessible areas where less paediatric facilities are available, it consumes lot of time to reach the hospital. By the time condition of some of the new born/infants deteriorates and despite putting in best efforts by the doctors/paramedics on duty, unfortunately, the new born/infant dies,” it says.
According to the report as on date 95 percent admissions in GB Pant hospital are from rural/ hilly/tribal and other inaccessible areas ranging from tehsils of Sonamarg, Gurez , Tanghdar, Banihal, Kulgam, Budgam, Beerwah, Tangmarg, Kandi, Pattan, Baramulla,Uri, Rafiabad, Mawar, Langate, Handwara, Manzgam, Drugmulla, Chowkibal, Kupwara, Lolab, Bandipora, Ajas, Ganderbal and Kangan.
The report says that 90 percent of patients admitted in the hospital are cured but it doesn’t talk about the rest 10 percent thereby implying that they either die or medicos fail to treat them.
“It is also to be seen that of the 80 admissions taking place every day, more than 90 percent are cured and sent back home by the same tertiary-care hospital,” it further reads.
In the report, the government has left no stone unturned to justify deaths happening in the sole paediatric hospital of the Valley by quoting infant mortality rates of different states.
While the infant death rate of state has been shown 43 percent, the government has claimed that  death rates of Andhra Pradesh is (46), Gujarat (44), Haryana (48) and Bihar (48) to paint rosy picture of healthcare in  JK  and give an impression to lawmakers that all is well in GB Pant.
Ironically, the report submitted by MED to the Assembly meaningfully doesn’t talk about Kerala (13 percent IMR), Goa (10), Manipur (14) and other north-eastern states where the situation is quite better.
However, contradicting the MED data, a recent survey puts Jammu and Kashmir at the top of infant mortality list in the country with the valley having the highest percentage of deaths ranging to 82.1 percent, followed by Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
The MED doesn’t stop here: It even quotes the figures of underdeveloped countries like Nepal and Bangladesh to cover up the negligence of medicos at GB Pant hospital.  The American intelligence agency - Central Intelligence Agency’s - World Fact Book has been annexed with the report to convince the state’s legislators that the infant deaths at GB Pant hospital are not anything to be worried about.
The report also says that there is heavy influx of patients at GB Pant – thrice than bed capacity.
“Due to heavy rush of patients, the bed occupancy remains three times more than that of the actual bed strength. Which is at present 135,” the note reads.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 12 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST