Srinagar, May 6:  Government’s tall claims of providing best healthcare facilities to people prove little, at least when you look at the unending queues of patients at SMHS Hospital where they have to waste hours to get a ticket for consultation.
 There’s only one counter for disseminating OPD tickets to the patients aspiring for consultation in this hospital.
 Same is the case with those who have to undergo CT Scans and MRI’s as this facility too is accessible though a single counter where the fee is paid or reports taken from.
 “People have to wait for hours in order to get OPD ticket so that they can get themselves or their near and dear ones treated at this place,” admitted a hospital insider.
 Scene outside the OPD ticket counter was chaotic. Patients and their attendants were seen helplessly waiting for their turn.
 Hajira Bano of Kupwara had come to get her 5-year-old daughter treated for burn injuries. But the consultation didn’t come easy. “I had to wait for two hours before getting OPD ticket. During that period my daughter was crying as she had suffered burn injuries on her face,” the woman said while trying to console the crying kid.
 Her miseries, however, didn’t end there.  She had to wait for another one hour in queue to get her daughter examined by doctor.
 Long queues persist.  Same was the scene at the counter where CT Scans and MRI reports are delivered.
 Manzoor Ahmad, who was waiting in a queue to get CT scan report said: “I am waiting for two hours here and I don’t know how long it will take me to get my report.”
  “Here people are treated like animals, nobody cares for human lives. Why doesn’t SMHS management increase the number of counters and staff to tackle the rush of patients in a smooth manner?” he questioned.
 Observers said the SMHS should take a lesson from SKIMS, the hospital equipped with multiple counters. “The queues at SKIMS are comparatively small because there we have multiple counters,” said a senior medico requesting not to be named.
 When contacted, Medical Superintendent SMHS, Nazir Ahmad Chowdry, he said: “We have shortage of staff, that is the reason we are not opening new counters.”
 When asked about why doesn’t the hospital recruit new staff, he said: “It is the job of recruitment agencies, we cannot do anything about it.”

Lastupdate on : Sun, 6 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 6 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 7 May 2012 00:00:00 IST