Ortho Surgeon, 6 other docs, 3 ASCOMS staff members +ve
*People take patients to Punjab cities due to lack of healthcare in Jammu
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 4: As eight more deaths due to Coronavirus were reported from the Jammu region today, a number of people were rushing their patients, both COVID and non-COVID to Punjab including Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jallandhar, Pathankot etc for treatment in the absence of adequate healthcare and delay in admissions in Government as well as private hospitals here even as the administration remained unconcerned about plight of the ailing community.
The region reported 456 new Corona cases today. Again Jammu district accounted for more than half of the total cases with 252 positives. As many as 525 Corona patients today recovered from the virus.
Inputs available with the Excelsior revealed that there was no improvement in healthcare facilities in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, the so-called premier health institution of the region and the people who have resources at their command have been taking their patients-be they COVID positive or negative to Punjab for treatment where health infrastructure especially in private sector is in good condition.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Hospital Katra (SMVDNH) in which the Shrine Board has huge stakes and has also invested heavily has confined itself to “VIP patients” at the time when people required its services the most as pandemic has assumed alarming proportions. ASCOMS Sidhra is also overburdened as it was the only hospital in the private sector which was admitting COVID positive patients.
Though the GMC Jammu, Chest Diseases Hospital and Gandhi Nagar Hospital besides GMCs at Kathua, Rajouri and Doda and other District Hospitals in the region are admitting COVID positive as well as other patients, the healthcare facilities remain the cause of concern. Surprisingly, people said, every patient at SMGS hospital is being asked to produce COVID negative certificate even before examination in the OPDs or admission in the Emergency and Wards causing enormous inconvenience to the people as well as their attendants. There was no Government guideline that the patient had to produce COVID negative certificate for examination in the OPDs.
In view of such a situation, large number of people have taken their patients, both COVID and non-COVID, to different private hospitals in Punjab including Ludhiana, Jallandhar, Amritsar, Pathankot and other cities. However, majority of people said they can’t afford hefty bills of the private hospitals in Punjab and, therefore, will have to depend on whatever facilities are available in four GMCs of Jammu. The people were highly critical of the BJP leadership of Jammu saying they have miserably failed to take up with the Government the issue of lack of healthcare facilities in the region.
Meanwhile, an 86-year-old retired doctor from Kishtwar presently putting up at Janipura Jammu who was suffering from Community Acquire Pneumonia and was positive for the virus died in the GMC Jammu where he was admitted since September 15.
An 80-year-old man from Durga Nagar, 76-year-old from Makhanpur Bishnah and 70-year-old from Subash Nagar succumbed to the virus in the GMC Jammu. They were suffering from COVID pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress and some other ailments.
A 49-year-old man from Rajbagh in Kathua district died of COVID-19 in the GMC Jammu while a 68-year-old Corona positive man from Majalata in Udhampur district breathed his last in the District Hospital Udhampur.
Two COVID deaths were today reported from Poonch district. They include 70-year-old woman from Behramgala, presently putting up at Rajouri who passed away in the GMC Rajouri and a 71-year-old man from Marah Surankote, presently living near Radio Station Poonch, who died in the GMC Jammu of co-morbidities and pathogen.
With today’s casualties, Jammu region’s Corona toll has gone up to 382, the highest being 203 in Jammu district, 36 Rajouri, 33 Doda, 26 Kathua, 22 Samba, 21 Udhampur, 16 Poonch, 10 Ramban, nine Kishtwar and six in Reasi district.
Meanwhile, Jammu district reported 252 new COVID-19 positive cases today and, significantly, all of them were locals. They include seven doctors and three staff members of ASCOMS Sidhra.
Among 27 positive cases in Udhampur district, one each was an official of Jammu and Kashmir Bank and Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Narwal, a BSF jawan, five family members of Barrian, three family members each of Ghari and Gole Mela and four in Ramnagar tehsil.
An Orthopedic Surgeon of the District Hospital Ramban was among eight positive cases in the district, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Mohammad Fareed Bhat said.
An official of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and two pregnant women were among the positives of Reasi district.
All 21 positives in Kathua, 17 Poonch and 14 in Doda, 48 of 49 in Kishtwar and 11 of 22 in Samba district were locals.
Among positives of Rajouri district, nine belonged to Kalakote, six Darhal, three Thanna Mandi, two Sunderbani and one Nowshera.
Today, 525 Corona patients recovered from the virus in Jammu region including 312 in Jammu district, 81 Kathua, 29 Doda, 27 Poonch, 17 Kishtwar, 16 each Ramban and Udhampur, 15 Reasi and 12 in Reasi district.
As per the official figures, Jammu region now has 31613 Corona cases. Of them, 22421 have recovered while there have been 8810 active positives and 382 casualties.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
