Kashmir News Service
SRINAGAR
As the SMHS and Bones and Joints hospitals witnessed huge rush of injured civilians due to firing by forces during the on-going uprising in Kashmir, doctors and volunteers keep the hopes alive and saved lives of those patients who were in danger.
These two hospitals, which are associated hospitals of Government Medical College, together received 478 patients who were admitted for treatment, including 394 in SHMS and 74 in Bones and Joints hospital till Tuesday.
Director SKIMS Soura, Dr A G Ahangar said that the tertiary hospital, as on July 20, 2016, had received 107 injured patients, including 27 with bullets, 42 with pellets, 17 with stones, blast injuries 2, assault by forces 11, and assault by mob 1.
Doctors in SKIMS performed 23 major life saving surgeries and 3 minor surgeries on these patients.
“So far 78 patients have been discharged and 15 have been shifted to SKIMS Bemina,” Dr Ahangar said. He said that six patients died in these days.
SKIMS (Bemina) received 106 wounded in its IPD.
Dr Kaisar Ahmad, Principal GMC said that 405 surgeries were conducted on patients at SMHS, B&J hospital in the last 10 days.
Doctors conducted 23 neurosurgeries, 143 ophthalmic surgeries, 2 ENT, 74 orthopaedic and 205 general surgeries on the patients who were injured due to pellets and bullets in the last ten days.
Most of the patients admitted in B&J hospital had suffered compound fractures.
“In most of the injured patients, bones were shattered and they had compound fractures,” he said.
“As of now, 93 bullet and pellet-hit patients are admitted in SMHS and 17 are admitted in B&J hospital. Rest of the injured persons were discharged from both the hospitals,” he said.
Out of 223 pellet injured patients (115 with pellet injuries in the eyes, and 108 with outside eye pellet injuries), one has lost his vision in both the eyes, 10 in one eye.
“It will take 4-6 weeks to see whether these pellet-injured would regain their eyesight or not. We are trying our best so that they can regain maximum eyesight,” he said.
52 civilians had bullet injuries, 12 hit by tear gas shells, 33 beaten by government forces, 22 stones injuries, 3 were injured due to beating by “unknown persons”.
In district hospitals, 1930 injured patients were treated by doctors including 125 with bullets and 595 due to pellets in the on-going unrest.
The highest number of injured were treated in Islamabad (465), Pulwama (455), Kulgam (309), Baramulla (170), Bandipora (161), Shopian (153), Kupwara (149), Budgam (39) and Ganderbal (29).
Nearly 200 injured persons were operated for major and minor surgeries in these peripheral hospitals.
Doctors in District Hospital Pulwama conducted 50 surgeries while Islamabad 44 and Baramulla 20.
The details of patients treated in OPD in these hospitals are not available yet.
How these hospitals managed such a huge rush of wounded patients in such emergency situation?
The GMC principal said that doctors and volunteers kept hopes afloat for these patients.
He appreciated the volunteers who have been camping the premises of these hospitals, providing drinking water, food, and medicine to the patients and their attendants.
Dr Kaisar said that volunteers provided the most important help by timely transporting patients to theatres, and other associated hospitals.
“Volunteers managed it very well. It is very appreciable. They maintained completed discipline and avoided the chaos that crowded places, like hospitals witness during such extreme emergency situations.”
“Our staff could do their job very well when the volunteers avoided chaos and maintained discipline.”
The Principal praised the doctors, saying that expert doctors from all the departments were kept ready during the emergency.
“Best teams were kept available in the hospitals. Coordination and availability of different doctors’ teams saved lives. We can give SOPs to the whole world now given the experience we have treating such patients,” he said.
Scores of volunteers said that they are doing their work for humanity and “contributing their bit in the on-going movement”.
Kashmir is under strict curfew on consecutive 14th day on Friday. At least 48 civilians were killed by government forces and a cop died when a moving police bunker turned turtle before sliding in to a river in Sangam area of South Kashmir.
(The report was filed on late July 20, 2016 night and is reproduced today.)
