Srinagar, May 22: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has condemned the action taken against doctors in the wake of infant deaths in GB Pant Hospital and alleged that it has been done only to cover up administrative failures.
The selection of a retired doctor as Medical Superintendent (MS) of GB Pant is a jolt to the fraternity of doctors, DAK said in a statement. It said the selection speaks of favoritism, nepotism and continuing adhocism in the department.
The Association also alleged that there was gross mismanagement and malfunction in the whole healthcare system. “The administration is trying to project that all is well, but in reality nothing is well. Administration is misinforming the government that all is in place but nothing is in place. They are doing it to safeguard their chairs which they have acquired by unfair means,” the Association said in the statement. “The entire healthcare system of the state is diseased and the government knows it just like the way they knew about the death of infants in GB Pant Hospital,” it said.
According to the statement, DAK had opposed the proposed drug policy because government was not equipped to handle the situation and they had no idea about what and why they were bringing it into force. “There were ulterior motives of few which were not apparent to the general public. We also opposed the extravaganza and rave on the golden jubilee celebration of GMC Srinagar. DAK proposed buying ventilators with that money but DAK was gagged and few innocent young doctors were put behind bars,” the statement said.
The management of health department, DAK said has been given to ineligible and junior blue eyed people who have no idea about the problems of the department and about means to handle them. “Seniority, merit and skill have been thrown to winds. Glaring examples of favoritism and nepotism have been set up. Doctors have been bashed at every forum and they have been demonized so that they are not in a position to raise these issues. Their credibility has been blemished. Their confidence has been shattered and they have been scared so much so that the senior most people are not in a position to protest why much junior persons have been given top jobs superseding many senior deserving and meritorious officers. Anyone who dares to raise a voice is victimized at an earliest opportunity so no one dares to speak and bring these lacunae to fore,” the statement said.
The Association said that not only GB Pant Hospital, all peripheral hospitals lack manpower and infrastructure. “The life of patients is being jeopardized by pushing people in the name of work done to accomplish procedures for which such hospitals are neither fit nor safe,” the statement said adding that what is being asked is how many caesarean sections have been done and not how many normal deliveries have been conducted. With the result many mothers who would deliver normally are operated upon, under the pressure of work done. “Not a single hospital is equipped with neonatal intensive care unit and pediatrician.”
Under the pressure of work done, DAK said that many procedures are pushed into doing without infrastructure and manpower resulting in risking the life of patients. “Can anywhere in the world one operating surgeon/anesthetist manage a patient single handedly in pre and post-operative period. The specialists in addition to working in the day are asked to take call duties during night and work 24/7 which is sure to end in a fiasco. “Is any of the peripheral hospital equipped to manage a patient of MI, stroke,” DAK questioned.
The irony, according to the Association, was that the administration wants to install CT scan equipment in periphery, but there was no one to manage them. “Have they created radiologist posts to handle the machines and the reports?  OPDs are overburdened. One doctor has to see at an average of 80-100 patients in a day. Is he not liable to misdiagnose - who is suffering, poor patients. “Thousands of doctors, nurses and paramedics are jobless. Why is the government entangled in red-tapism and not responding to this issue? Rules are made and broken in a jiffy when it comes to projecting the blue-eyed. But they cannot be maneuvered for such emergency situation,” the statement said.
Equipment, according to the Association, was being bought at exuberant rates for reasons best known to the purchase committees. “Transparent and honest purchases would have enabled to equip more hospitals, more adequately with the same money,” the statement said.
They have also alleged that administration was discouraging doctors from higher studies by holding back their salaries. “This happens only in our state. How will a doctor survive for three years without salary? How will he feed himself, his family and children? Post-graduate doctors from health are prevented from doing registrar-ship which is a part of their training. So they stay under-baked. What a disservice to the future of the department,” said the Association.
DAK in statement further said that doctor was always involved in healing and can never cause genocide but genocide according to them has taken place but the doctors were not responsible. “Doctors are not faith healers, they cannot recite holy words and blow into the nostrils to heal patients, they need medicines and gadgets like ventilators to accomplish their goal but what can a doctor do when necessary medicines, equipment and manpower is not available,” the statement said adding that doctor was not involved in procuring any of them.
The DAK has appealed the public and the civil society and media fraternity not to get swayed by the miscreants and not have bad opinion about the doctors. “History is there to vouch that these doctors have at the cost of everything tried to do their best for this society in the most difficult conditions with grossly depleted support system. Last 25 years and especially last three years should not be overlooked,” the statement said.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:00 IST