Islamabad (Anantnag) June 6: Despite referral hospitals in all the districts of South Kashmir and also the existence of the maternity and children hospital in Islamabad the doctors here are unable to handle emergency cases resulting in loss of precious lives.
“Instead of administering treatment to the patients with serious medical condition, the doctors at the district hospitals at Islamabad, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian generally refer them to SMHS or SKIMS for further treatment which results in the loss of precious time in saving their lives,” said a senior doctor at the district hospital Islamabad here.
He said most of the deaths of youth in South Kashmir during 2010 summer unrest happened due to the time taken in ferrying them to the hospitals in Srinagar. “Most of them died because of blood loss,” the doctor said.
People complain that many patients at South Kashmir's lone maternity hospital are referred to the Lal Ded hospital after 4 pm and on Sundays because of the lack of expert staff here.
“We are afraid of conducting a delivery at the maternity hospital if we feel there is even a slightest risk. We don't have the neonatal intensive care unit which results in increased mortality and this will not be acceptable to the people,” said a doctor at the maternity hospital adding that they have time and again told authorities about the absence of the unit at the hospital but to no avail.
But one of the patients at the district hospital, Kulgam said the referrals take place because senior doctors don't see the patients themselves. “They put junior doctors on the job and who are usually ill-equipped to deal with the situation,” the patient Ghulam Muhammad said.
Some hospital employees, on the other hand hold the overstaying doctors and paramedics responsible for deteriorating condition of the hospitals. “The doctors are more interested in running private clinics than the hospital work,” said a paramedic requesting not to be named.
Even though according to the government circular, an employee cannot be posted at a particular place for more than two years, there are many doctors and para-medics who have not been shifted for the past more than five years.
Sources at the hospital say that most of these doctors practice at nearby private clinics during morning and evening hours, so they are late to their duties and then leave early. One doctor has been working at the district hospital for the past 15 years. “The paramedic staff is ruling the roost at the District hospital, Islamabad and most of them are never transferred,” sources said.
At the maternity hospital, on the other hand, it is the inadequate infrastructure that worsens the problem. The hospital is only 70 bedded but the patients admitted there cross 300 figure mark. So, the hospital has to accommodate three patients on a single bed. “The medical and paramedical staff and equipments have been sanctioned as per the requirement of 70 beds only. Where will the rest of the patients go,” said a doctor.
He said that the overcrowding at the hospital, lack of specialized staff and the dearth of paramedics is the major reason for referrals which in turn is responsible for higher mortality rate of children and pregnant ladies.
"The hospital should have at least 13 B-Grade specialists and trained paramedics while at the same time adequate infrastructure should be provided which will include increasing the bed capacity of the hospital and establishing an operation theatre," the doctor said.
"If we have support staff like SMHS or SKIMS we will be able to do equally well," said a doctor of Pulwama district hospital.
“It is the Medical Superintendents, BMOs and CMOs who don’t take up the issues with higher authorities. They create a false notion that everything is alright,” said a doctor at District hospital, Shopian.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 6 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 6 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 7 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST