KL Report
SRINAGAR
Expressing serious concern over the acute shortage of doctors and life saving drugs in hospitals across the South Kashmir, the CPI (M) State Secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Monday said the administration has virtually left the patients at the mercy of peons and other class fourth officials in healthcare institutions in the state.
According to statement after over a week-long tour to different areas in South Kashmir, Tarigami said a cursory glimpse of hospitals including sub district and even district hospitals in different districts of South Kashmir, one can feel that the healthcare institutions are being manned by a few doctors and a few Para medical officials. He said these hospitals are without basic facilities including life saving drugs, causing tremendous inconvenience to the patients.
In many areas, the CPI (M) leader said that the pre-operation, post-operation, casualty, ward and gynecological cases are being looked after by a single doctor from evening to morning every day. “Not only these health centers lack required number of doctors, infrastructure, proper lavatories and water supply facility but due to scarcity, the patients are left with no option but to purchase surgical equipments and life saving drugs from the open market,” he added.
The CPI (M) leader said that going by the condition of district and sub district hospitals; it seems that these healthcare institutions have been ignored to the hilt. “The government shall provide the institutional mechanism for the sustained human resource development for the public health care system in peripheries,” he said.
Referring to various media reports, Tarigami said that the Valley hospital are running short of nearly 600 doctors with around 250 doctors being absent from their services illegally from the past several years. “Reports suggest that there are 72 Assistant Surgeons, 55 specialists and 62 paramedical posts vacant in hospitals of south Kashmir’s Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam and Anantnag districts. It seems that the ministry concerned is hardly bothered about these facts,” he added.
Tarigami urged the government to respond to the shortage of doctors and life saving drugs in hospitals across the state so that the patients suffering for want of consultations and important drugs are benefited.
