Handwara, June 20: The residents of Handwara have expressed resentment against the authorities for not detaching doctors back to District Hospital Handwara from Covid Hospital Kupwara even after the Covid positivity rate had come down to 2.94 percent across the district.
In the wake of Covid-19 second wave, Director Health Services Kashmir had attached five doctors from District Hospital Handwara to Covid-designated hospital at Kupwara to deal with the alarming situation.
Later, after the decline in Covid positivity rate, authorities had detached two doctors back to DH Handwara but three specialist doctors are still performing duties at SDH Kupwara which has hit patient care at DH Handwara.
A senior official at District Hospital Handwara said that the hospital was already understaffed and with non-availability of three specialist doctors, the workload of the existing doctors had doubled.
“Since District Hospital Handwara witnesses hundreds of patients every day, the non-availability of doctors is telling upon smooth functioning of the hospital,” he said.
The official said that after the decline in Covid positivity rate, the services of these doctors were being utilised in non-Covid OPD at Sub District Hospital Kupwara instead of detaching them back to District Hospital Handwara.
Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Imam Din told Greater Kashmir that detachinh doctors back to District Hospital Handwara was the domain of Health Services Kashmir.
He said that since Kupwara district had witnessed decrease in Covid positivity rate, the district administration would not have any objection if these doctors were detached back.
Director Health Services Kashmir Dr Mushtaq Ahmad told Greater Kashmir that the doctors were attached at Covid Hospital Kupwara in the larger interest of people.
He said that few doctors had been detached back and soon other three would also be sent back to District Hospital Handwara.