Bandipora: The District Hospital Bandipora in north Kashmir despite operating from a new building for a year now lacks specialist doctors, technicians, and paramedics, hitting patient care.
Due to the non-availability of specialist doctors, paramedical staff, and technicians at the hospital, scores of patients are forced to visit private clinics for treatment.
According to officials, several specialist doctors, technicians, and paramedic posts have been vacant for the past several years at the hospital, affecting its smooth functioning.
The posts of an ENT specialist, an orthopaedician, four medical officers, two senior consultants, one X-ray technician, and an anaesthetist are vacant in the hospital besides posts of nurses, paramedics, and sensitisation staff.
According to officials, of the 108 posts sanctioned for the hospital, 40 posts were vacant.
They said, besides that, despite repeated requisition by the higher-ups, many “important posts” had not been sanctioned so far.
These include the posts of a cardiologist, sonologist, radiologist, pathologist, psychiatrist, and dermatologist.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Medical Superintendent Bandipora Hospital, Dr Mushtaq Ahmad admitted that there was a dearth of staff in the hospital and that they had formed a projection report of vacant doctors and paramedics and sent it to the higher-ups for consideration.