Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 10: As the violence in Kashmir refuses to die down, the authorities have cancelled leaves of all doctors and other staffers and directed them to report to their duties in wake of the volatile situation in the region.
Principal Medical College and Associated Hospitals, Dr Kaiser Ahmad, directed the doctors and other staffers to report to their duties immediately. “In case the staff members face any difficulty in getting transportation, they may reach the nearest District Hospital or Sub-district Hospital, where from they shall be provided the necessary transportation facility,” an official spokesman said.
Education Minister and State Government spokesman Naeem Akhtar said that there is adequate supply of drugs and other requirements in the hospitals. “It was also decided that any injured person, requiring treatment outside the State, shall be provided such facility by the Government,” he said.
Sources told Excelsior that the leaves of doctors – particularly those posted at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS), Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura and Bone and Joint (B&J) Hospital Barzulla – have been cancelled as these three hospitals are receiving highest number of injured persons since Saturday.
Sources further said that Principal GMC has directed all doctors who were on vacations to join back to their duties. The SMHS – which is also known as State Hospital here – has treated and admitted highest number of injured persons since yesterday morning. A senior doctor posted at SMHS Hospital told Excelsior that since Saturday 10:00 am to Sunday 7:00 am, they admitted a total of 140 injured persons. He said that the medicos have not come out of emergency theatres.
“We have four surgery tables in emergency theatre, one ophthalmology table in ophthalmology theatre and one ENT table in ENT theatre and all of them are filled with injured. We have been treating injured with firearm and pellet injuries,” said the doctor.
He said today the hospital admitted 67 injured persons. “We are not counting those whom we don’t admit, otherwise the toll is much higher,” doctor said. He added that given the rush of injured persons the routine surgeries have been cancelled and the patients who had to undergo these surgeries have been discharged. “At present, entire staff is involved in emergency,” said the doctor.
Sources said that SKIMS Soura received over 40 patients since yesterday morning while as B&J Hospital at Barzulla here received a total of 32. A senior official put the total toll of injured in two days across Kashmir at 400.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of Directorate of Health Services Kashmir (DHSK) told Excelsior that even as the toll of injured is increasing but the doctors and paramedics in hospitals are handling the situation in better way. He refuted the reports which suggested that a medical emergency has been imposed in Kashmir hospitals. The DHSK also issued helpline numbers for emergency medical assistance here.
Dr Aadil Ashraf of Resident Doctors’ Association said the resident staff has been working tirelessly without any break in the emergency section. “But still we are having shortage of staff because our doctors are trapped at their respective places due to restrictions,” he said.
Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) president, Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan said today the absence of trauma care facilities in peripheries is responsible for loss of lives. He said the lack of trained staff and equipment in peripheries to deal with trauma patients is costing human lives.
“The peripheral hospitals lacked trauma specialists, anesthetists, blood banks and intensive care units, which are essential to handle critically injured patients. Trauma patients have no other option but to go to tertiary care hospitals in Srinagar who most often than not die in transit,” he said.
Dr Nisar said the majority of the patients who died yesterday could have been saved had they been operated on time. “They died because they lost the golden time in transit which is crucial for survival in a trauma patient. For patients that require surgical care urgently, if they don’t get it immediately, they are more likely to die,” he said.
The DAK president added that even the ambulances which were ferrying these patients are as good as trucks as they lack resuscitative equipment and trained staff.
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