Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Sept 11: Failure of the Government to improve the medicare facilities in Sub District Hospital, Kathua and other hospitals of the district, which are facing the shortage of doctors as almost 100 posts of Assistant Surgeons and Specialists are lying vacant in these hospitals of the district at present has been a major cause of concern for the people in the entire district.
According to sources, the District Hospital Kathua and other hospitals of the district are confronted with the severe manpower shortage affecting their functioning to a great extent which has also been cause of brewing public resentment.
Sources said the District Hospital Kathua which was constructed in 2010 at Jammu –Pathankote National Highway by spending crores of rupees to make it a Model Hospital alone has a shortage of 30 doctors including assistant surgeons and specialists. Out of 50 posts of sanctioned strength of doctors, the DH Kathua is functioning with 20 doctors only affecting their efficiency.
Sources said that out of 22 posts of Assistant Surgeons, the SDH Kathua is functioning with 13 Assistant Surgeons at present while nine are still vacant. During the emergency the entire pressure is on these 20 doctors and problem is further compounded when some of them goes on leave, sources added.
Sources said that crores of rupees were spent on construction of SDH Kathua at Jammu –Pathankote National Highway two years back to make it a model Hospital and provide it with latest equipment and machinery with the objective that the Hospital can be easily accessible to the people of far-flung areas of the district. This Hospital was provided with three operation theatres of latest technology with all testing facilities including Ultra Sound and CT- Scan. But presently its position has deteriorated to a great extent due to shortage of doctors, sources added.
Sources said in district Development Board meetings or other high level official meetings held at Kathua the shortage of doctors in the hospitals of the district and lack of medicare facilities dominates all other issues, still no steps have been taken by the Government to over come the problem.
Sources said in other hospitals of the district the situation is no way better. In Nagri Parole Hospital, out of sanctioned post of nine doctors only one doctor is working while eight posts are vacant. This includes the post of a Gynecologist, one surgeon, one Physician and one pediatrician, sources added.
Likewise seven posts of doctors are vacant in SDH Hiranagar which includes five posts of specialists. In SDH Basohli, seven posts of Assistant Surgeons and five posts of Specialists are vacant, sources added.
Sources said in Ramkote Hospital two posts of doctors are lying vacant, in Khog Hospital one post and Ucha Pind two posts of doctors are lying vacant. In SDH Billawar, four posts of doctors are lying vacant including one post each of Surgeon and Gynecologist, sources added.
The Bani, which is the far flung area in Kathua district bordering Bhadarwah in Doda district and Himachal Pradesh, people also face shortage of doctors and they are dependent on neighbouring State of HP for treatment, sources said.
Sources said there is no health Sub Centre from Billawar to Ramkote which has a distance of 40 kilometres, Ramkote to Dayalachak a distance of 25 kilometres has only one dispensary at Dinga Amb. Despite being the accident prone and a snake biting area no proper medicare facilities are available there, sources added.
Likewise from Lakhanpur to Mahanpur a distance of 60 kms there is no health facility available. Earlier, former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had promised the people of Billawar to construct a Trauma Hospital at Ramkote on Dhar road but not to speak of constructing of Trauma Hospital the existing PHC at Ramkote was not developed, sources said.
Sources said that there is no hospital on National Highway from Kathua to Samba having distance of 45 kms approximately and in the emergencies, the patients are taken either to Kathua or GMC Jammu and some die enroute for want of emergency treatment.
Sources said over15 years back it was decided that Red Cross will construct a Sub Centre at Dayala Chak but the scheme also fell through.
However when contacted the Director Health Services, Jammu, Dr Baljit Pathania admitted that there is shortage of some Assistant Surgeons in SDH Kathua but efforts are afoot to fill up the vacant posts. He said the functioning of the Hospitals will not be allowed to suffer due to shortage of doctors.
Dr Pathania who took over only a week back as Director Health Services Jammu said that he is on the job and not only in Kathua district but the shortage of doctors will be overcome in all other districts. Till the posts are filled up by the Government, the shortage will be overcome by making internal arrangements.
He said the post of Gynecologist in DH Kathua became vacant after the promotion of doctor as A Grade Specialist and the post is lying vacant which will be filled up soon.
Meanwhile people came on the streets in Kathua , today and staged a massive demonstration in front of Deputy Commissioner’s Office to register their anger against shortage of doctors and lack of medicare facilities in Kathua district hospital and other hospitals.
The protestors who earlier took out a procession in the town later staged a demonstration in front of DC Office demanding improvement of medicare facilities in the District Hospital and other hospitals of the district with posting of doctors and para medical staff as the general public has to suffer due to lack of the same.
The protestors raising slogans against the Government for its callousness towards the people of the district said that due to the lack of doctors and specialists in the District Hospital Kathua the number of negligent deaths is on increase and in last fortnight two such deaths have taken place in the Hospital.
They alleged that not to speak of emergency even a patient with minor problem of fever is referred to GMC Jammu at SDH Kathua has a shortage of over 60 percent doctors at present. This includes the Assistant Surgeons and specialists also.
Raising slogans against the Government and Health Ministry the protestors gave an ultimatum to authorities that they will intensify the agitation in case immediate steps were not taken to improve the functioning of the hospitals in the district as well as SDH Kathua.
The protestors asked what is the fun of creating the posts of doctors in Hospitals when they are kept vacant ?
It may be recalled that three days back protest was held in Kathua Hospital against the death of a new born baby which the protestors alleged was due to the negligence of doctors.
This was followed by the protest by hospital staff who demanded the deployment of CRPF in the Hospital.
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