The District Hospital associated Medical College at Kantbagh, Baramulla everyday caters to hundreds of patients who want this hospital to be at par with the city hospitals in terms of healthcare.
However, there are certain areas where we need to introspect so that better healthcare facilities reach out to the patients. Here is an ordeal of an attendant who faced chaos while accompanying his ailing father.
At around 11 pm on 4th of May, 2022, I was rung up by my sister about my father’s serious illness. It was Beez (2nd of Eid) and I had gone to my in-laws at Amargarh, Sopore. The feeble way in which my sister revealed father’s sickness to me made me sense alarm.
Though she tried to delay the matter to the next day, yet, the pain felt in mother’s voice, in the backdrop, frightened me. According to her, he was in a terrible condition and should be hospitalized at any cost.
I could hear my ailing father cry as I put on my parachute-jacket. It was 11:30 pm when I left for my home. There was a chill in the air as it had rained all day.
As I drove homewards, a thought of Special Task Force checking struck my mind. Alhamdullialh, that night, there was nobody on the roads. And, it took me an hour or so to get home at Shangergund (Rafiabad).
From here, I was escorted by my sister and brother-in-law, straight headed towards the Government Medical College-cum-District Hospital, Kanth Bagh, Baramulla. We reached the hospital late, at around 12:30 am.
How terrific! We were welcomed by water-logged ditches, stray dogs and the dirt in front of the Emergency ward. I was shocked to see the main entry of A&E (Accident & Emergency) ward broken.
Some dusty wheelchairs and broken stretchers, lying outside, annoyed me much. First impression is the last impression. I have had a good image of this hospital but alas, that image has tarnished now!
After fetching the admit-ticket, we went to the doctors’ night-duty room. Some patients who stood nearby sneered at the hospital administration, saying, “Yethe Tchee Chupassay Yervinav. Asal Doctor Tchee Bus Shahrus Manz” (There is chaos in this hospital now from all sides. Good doctors are in the city).
My bad-luck, I had to see the chaos myself too, after our patient was examined. The bed we approached was so untidy that I had to keep my wan and weak patient standing for some time till the mess was cleaned.
And, after laying him on the bed, when I turned my head around; I was disappointed to see the entire A&E ward filthy and unclean.
An emergency-hospital-ward must be a high-care unit where patients in emergency are treated. However, here, the situation was absolutely dismal.
Things were lying in a haphazard manner. I had to clean up the biomedical-waste (BMW) of hypodermic needles, syringes, drip-sets, broken glass, etc by myself. Sharp glass-pieces and needles which could have proven risky were lying on the floor, unnoticed.
The over-bed tables were full of medical-muck. Although, I could only clean up the area near our bed, yet, it seemed that no sanitation was done in the ward for weeks.
The CCTV (closed-circuit-television) footage of that date is a visible proof and eye-opener for the hospital administration to plug up the loopholes and come out of chaos.
Who will clean this hospital, if; the concerned won’t wake up? Patients come here for treatment not that they will clean the mess themselves. My ill-father was, unnecessarily, made to wait for the drip, after I got the requisite items from the pharmacy room.
On seeing his critical condition, I couldn’t refrain from peeping into the nurses’ room. And to my surprise, I found, male nursing-staff, leisurely, snuggled under cozy blankets, busy on phones, gossiping.
The paramedical staff, in any hospital, is the backbone of the system but here the situation was dreadful. If doctors are the directors of health-sector, nurses (both male & female) are the heroes & heroines behind the set-up.
How can this hospital-cum-GMC flourish when its vertebrae are imperfect? Such elements must strictly be dealt with who try to tarnish the image of this hospital, overtly or covertly.
After having a look into ‘resus bay’, (the resuscitation-ward) where seriously ill/ injured patients were kept. I was stunned to see the patients left in lurch like untouchables. No nursing-staff was around. Attendants were themselves taking care of their sick patients.
Even the state of every washroom was pitiable. Though I hail the treatment of the doctors on duty that day as they didn’t discharge our patient until absolute recuperation, yet, there is a dire need to activate the administration in this hospital (now GMC) because at a medical college things must be up-to-the mark.
Hope this modest attendant’s grievance, sensitize the management to re-imagine the healthcare here and prove better. The sooner, the better!
The author is a teacher by profession
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.