KL Desk
Srinagar
Critical maternity related patients are having to wait for hours to get admission into the intensive care units (ICUs) at state-run Maternity and Childcare Hospital (MCH) Islamabad (Anantnag) due to the lack of requisite infrastructure.
While the hospital witnesses a huge rush of maternity and child care related patients, it is presently functioning with just one Operation Theater, a lone child care ward and just three ambulances.
Sources told KNS that the hospital having become referral hospital for various south Kashmir districts lacks sufficient space and infrastructure to meet with the immediate demands of patients visiting the hospital.
“Hundreds of patients visit the hospital every day, however, they face severe hardships, which includes sharing of beds by more than one patient almost all the time. Ward number 2 is always overcrowded where three patients are forced to share one bed due to lack of sufficient beds availability”, the sources said.
Gulshan W/o Riyaz Ahmad R/o Chukura Pulwama admitted in ward number 3 under MRD number 17710 told KNS that the facilities available in the hospital are not satisfactory. “I had to wait for two days for the bed and during this time I was lying on the floor. Now I’m on the bed along with two other patients. There is shortage of doctors and nurses and patients don’t get enough attention or nursing care. Infrastructure and number of doctors need to be upgraded”, she said.
While the hospital also witnesses a huge rush of patients in childcare unit, but it is presently having only one child ward that too with insufficient infrastructure. “It is very unfortunate that this hospital is being ignored. Authorities must understand that this hospital is not confined to the people of Islamabad district but has become the centre of various districts including Pulwama, Shopain, Poonch, Rajouri, Kulgam and others”, said Nazir Ahamd Wani, father of new born baby.
Talking to KNS, Medical Superintendent Abdul Majeed Mehrab confirmed the lack of infrastructure, however, said that the higher authorities in the department have recently visited the hospital and development of infrastructure is under process”.
When asked regarding the rush of patients from outside the district he said: “Yes that is true, patients from other districts and migrant patients also visit this hospital”.
Minister for Health Sham Lal Sharm couldn’t be contacted despite repeated attempts.
