Shopian: Last week, Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Kapran village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district felt breathlessness and was rushed to District Hospital Shopian.
As an on-duty doctor examined Ahmad, he found his oxygen saturation level plunging significantly. It ticked up the anxiety of his family and they began readying themselves to shift him to Srinagar.
However, the doctor clamped an oxygen mask to his face and assured his family that there was no need to take him anywhere.
In the next two hours, the doctors performed a battery of tests and scans and started the treatment. After a few hours, much to the relief of his family, Ahmad showed a significant improvement.
“All blood tests and x-rays were performed at the hospital”, said the patient’s son and attendant Muhammad Hussain.
Over the past many years, the referral rate at District Hospital Shopian was very high with patients requiring small procedures or tests would be sent to tertiary care hospitals in Srinagar, which jacked up their treatment cost. However, since last year, the hospital has witnessed a significant decline in the referral rate.
An official at the hospital said that the referral rate has come down by 20-25 percent since March 2022.
“The hospital administration has streamlined both its medical and paramedic staff to operate efficiently. We have also started conducting some crucial tests at the hospitals”, said the official.
Since March 2022, there has been an uptick in the patient footfall at the hospital. A total number of 332405 patients visited the OPD from March 2022 to December 2022, said the official.
There has also been a significant increase in the number of minor and major surgeries performed at the facility. According to the official data available with the hospital, 1443 major and 1995 minor surgeries were performed from March 2022 to December 2022 at the hospital. A total of 616 Lower Segment Caesarean Sections (LCS) had also been performed during this period.
The hospital has also scaled up the dialysis sessions. “We offer dialysis in two shifts to ensure that the patients do not need to go private to clinics or hospitals”, said the official.
On a daily basis, the official said, 6 to 8 patients receive dialysis at the hospital.
He said that the hospital generated a revenue of Rs10,663,614 from March 2022 to December 2022 as against Rs 6,199,795 during this period in 2021.
The hospital was accorded the district hospital status in 2008 and caters to a population of around 3 lakh.
“However, it was administered poorly over all these years and remained a victim of official apathy”, said Mohamamd Shafi, a senior citizen of Shopian town.
He added that there had been a visible change in the facility over the last one year.
Medical Superintendent District Hospital Shopian, Dr Khalid Abbas told Greater Kashmir that the hospital administration is working diligently to offer the best treatment to the patients.
“The faith of people in the hospital has increased which we consider as a big achievement”, Abbas said.