Tabish Khan
SRINAGAR
From last eight years, the holdup construction of SKIMS Maternity Hospital Soura has triggered a host of problems for women patients who turn up here only to face crisis due to poor infrastructure.
Construction of new maternity hospital is done in alternative basis resulting in three incomplete floorings. The delay has apparently held patients hostage—as a single bed is being currently shared by three patients.
“Three patients with babies are on one bed,” said Shahzada Niyaz, a patient from Ganderbal. “We aren’t able to move properly, as weak facilities are making the things worse for us.”
Around 60 patients are admitted in existing Soura Maternity Hospital daily, who are being accommodated in two wards.
“Place is really congested here,” said Zareena Shafi, a patient. “My bed is near to washroom because of less space. I am really worried. What if my baby catches infection?”
New babies have weak immune system, said a doctor on duty. “The overcrowded wards close to washrooms pose serious risk to babies’ health.”
In Maternity Hospital, though the doctors have separate rooms, but nursing and paramedical staff don’t even a proper seating place, said a nurse Ruhila Nissar. “Nursing staff is degraded here,” she said. “VIP room is allotted to doctors but we don’t have proper place to sit.”
SKIMS Maternity Hospital has only one delivery table functional and lacks lighting facility inside the labour room. Besides doctors on duty said doctor-patient ratio is not property maintained.
“No one is ready to work here—in fact, high risk patients are also shifted here because of ICU facility,” the doctors said. “But because of less staff, burden of doctors get increased resulting not that much attention toward patient.”
But amid all this, Dr Showkat Zargar, Director SKIMS says, behind the mess is paucity of funds.
“From last three years we did not get enough funds for construction of maternity hospital,” Dr Zargar said. “But our ex-CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had shown keen interest regarding this construction and had promised to pass Rs 10 crore for construction of hospital. We hope funds will be released soon so that construction will get started again.”
