Pulwama, Mar 1: The shortage of doctors and essential drugs in the allopathic dispensary at Shadimarg in the Pulwama district is adversely affecting the patient care. 
 “The allopathic dispensary established in early 1970 also provides healthcare facilities to the people of four neighbouring villages Qasbayar, Drabgam, Kalampora and Batamaran Wanpora. However, due to the lack of staff and medicine, the people visiting the health center are facing tremendous hardships,” the locals said adding the patients were now visiting private clinics of doctors for receiving consultation and subsequent\ treatment. 
 “The dispensary is without a doctor from the last eight years and the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir has failed to depute any medico,” the locals said.
 They said that despite various representations to the district administration and senior functionaries in the Health Department, no doctor had been posted in the dispensary. 
 “The absence of doctors is causing huge inconvenience to the patients of the area,” the residents said.
 They said the non-availability of medicine in the dispensary was also compounding the problems of the people. “The poor patients have to get medicines from the open market,” they added.
 The residents also sought the upgradation of the dispensary.
 “A hospital was constructed in Keller in 1990 and it has been upgraded to the sub-district hospital’, said Tariq Ahmad, a local resident, adding the administration should take measures to upgrade the dispensary to its next level for the benefit of the people.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 1 Mar 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 1 Mar 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 2 Mar 2012 00:00:00 IST