Rajouri: Amid prevailing scenario of coronavirus pandemic, people from the areas of Kandi Medical Block of Rajouri Monday called for necessary augmentation of health sector in the hospitals of the area demanding immediate availability of ventilators and a mini oxygen generation plant.
Kandi Medical Block is one of the biggest medical blocks of the district with areas of Kotranka, Budhal, Peeri, and Jamola falling in its jurisdiction and most of the areas of the block are in hilly terrain and remain covered with snow during winters.
People of the area including PRIs and social activists including Muhammad Farooq Inqlabi, Sarpanch Kewal Trun, Muhammad Shahnawaz, Muhammad Basharat and others appealed the government to take the medical block on priority for necessary push of health sector in the area.
The activists said that most of the areas in this block were hilly and tough terrain with no private sector medical facilities due to which people depend on government hospital in all aspects.
“We have shortage of both manpower as well as necessary infrastructure in our hospitals which is taking a toll on human lives, especially during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic,” they said.
The activists said that the lack of necessary infrastructure could be gauged from the fact that there was no ventilator available in any of the hospitals of the area and referrals were the only option in case of any medical complications.
They said that a number of villages in this area were far flung with many even without road connectivity which make it important that local hospitals should be fully equipped.
“In the recent past, we have seen that almost all the COVID infected patients admitted in local hospitals have to be shifted to GMC Associated Hospital Rajouri for lack of necessary infrastructure in local hospitals and this referral trend should be reversed,” the activists said
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Kandi Dr Iqbal Malik said that the Kandi Medical Block was having four main hospitals that include four Primary Health Centers Budhal, Peeri, Jamola, and Trala and one Community Health Center at Kandi.
“To deal with COVID cases, we have established two-bedded isolation wards in every PHC and a four-bedded isolation ward in CHC Kandi and all the beds of these wards are having support of oxygen concentrators,” the BMO said.
He said there was no ventilator in any of the hospitals and patients needed to be referred to hospitals like GMC in case of any life support requirement.
The BMO said that so far there was no oxygen generation plant in the block and requirement for oxygen for patients was being fulfilled using cylinders.
“Our staff is giving best possible healthcare services to people even in tough conditions of both COVID-19 as well as winter season,” he said.