One of the oldest healthcare facilities in Kashmir, the sub-district hospital of Tral has not been upgraded for decades despite catering to more than two lakh patients annually, that too with only half the number of doctors required.
The hospital was established during Dogra rule, but government apathy has kept it away from being expanded while other similar facilities in other areas of Kashmir valley have been upgraded from time-to-time.
The hospital is critical facility for people from hundreds of villages, but its stagnant status cannot meet their needs and expectations.
Official documents available with Greater Kashmir reveal the hospital was never upgraded, and out of 26 required staff it functions with 13 doctors.
“The hospital is running without key posts including much needed ophthalmologist and ENT (department),” the documents reveal.
Block medical officer of Tral admitted that failure to upgrade the hospital has resulted in the facility running with insufficient staff.
“Under the situation I have no choice but to bring RBSK, BUMS doctors from different PHCs to handle the OPD at the main hospital,” he said.
Officials in the directorate of health services Kashmir say the sub-district hospitals at Pampore, Bhijbehra and Sopore each have 20 to 25 specialist doctors sanctioned while as SDH Tral has only seven.
Technically, for three decades now the hospital at Tral has had SDH status.
“The upgradation of the hospital and the creation of different posts was the duty of Member Legislative Assembly (MLA) of the area who always turned a blind eye towards it,” an official said.
The hospital is a vital facility catering to healthcare needs for people from 105 villages and also takes in patient flow referred from New Type Primary Health Centres, Primary Health Centers, sub-centers and dispensaries in a vast area.
Everyday dozens of patients from primary health centres of Dardsara, Aripal, Kahilil and NTPHC Batagund are referred here.
During 2014 floods the hospital provided healthcare support to the patients from as far as Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag districts.
Officials in SDH Tral said last year the facility received 200455 patients in its outpatient department (OPD).
Providing details about the average number of patients visiting the hospital annually, an official from SDH Tral said around 200455 patients visiting its Out Patients Department (OPD) annually.
During the same period, around 6954 patients were admitted in the hospital.
“Around 632 major and 1847 minor surgeries were performed in the hospital,” an official in the hospital told Greater Kashmir.
People now urge the Governor administration to upgrade the hospital so that more posts are created for SDH Tral and advanced machinery is provided to mitigate the sufferings of the people it caters to.
Director health services Kashmir, Dr Kunzes Dolma also admitted the hospital was never upgraded by the government.
“We cannot bring further doctors or paramedical staff at SDH Tral because there is no creation of needed posts. The hospital must be upgraded so that further creation of different posts takes place,” Dolma said.
Greater Kashmir in its Saturday edition published a story about severe dearth of doctors at SDH Tral. Officials say in order to create more posts for required doctors at the hospital the facility needs to be upgraded first.