Hajin (Bandipora), June 7: The Community Health Center (CHC) in Hajin area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district is facing acute shortage of doctors and medicines.
 Official sources told Greater Kashmir that the hospital, which was established 52nd years ago, is also without a Block Medical Officer. “It has been more than a week now that the hospital is without a BMO whom people could have complained about the dearth of medicines and doctors,” they said.
 The hospital, sources said, has not been provided with the annual medicine supply for 2012. “There are only seven medicines available in the hospital and these too are very few in quantity.”
 The medicines which are available in the hospital include Diazepam, Savilon and glucose. “The fact of the matter is that IV Fluid supply is minimal in the hospital and will be ending in a day or two. Medicines which are unavailable include Ofloxin and other antibiotics,” official sources disclosed. They said there is minimal dressing material available in the hospital.
 Last year the hospital had just received 50 per cent of its medicine supply. “The supply stopped all of a sudden in 2011 and it was told that there was some outstanding payment for the previous medicine supply. Nobody could fix the problem that year. This year there are no medicines at all. The patients and healthcare seem to have been forgotten by the authorities,” sources said.
 “The budget for medicines is Rs 28 lakh per year. Last year medicines worth only Rs 13 lakh were provided. This year the supply has been completely stopped,” they said, adding that the hospital lacks basic infrastructure as well.
 “The hospital is without a specialist and has only one nurse. Out of sanctioned seven paramedics there are only six. There is no doctor who can perform ultrasound.”
 Residents of the town told Greater Kashmir that they were facing huge problems due to shortage of medicine doctors and medicines in the health institute. “Yesterday I visited the hospital and there was no doctor available. It is a grave concern and we cannot remain quite over the issue,” said a local, Aijaz Ahmad.
 When contacted, Chief Medical Officer Bandipora, Malik Bashir, said, “It is true that there is shortage of medicines and specialists in the hospital; in fact six specialist posts of are still lying vacant.” “But there are five assistant specialists catering to the patients and medicines under National Rural Health Mission,” the CMO added.
 He said the posts of specialists would be filled soon by the department.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 7 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 7 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 8 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST