Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, May 1: The Emergency drugs counter at Kashmir’s premier hospital, Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital, is non-functional for past 3 months causing in-convenience to the patients, who were forced to buy the medicine and medical gadgets from SKIMS hospital.
Principal Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, Dr Qazi Masood, while admitting that the drug counter is non-functional said it was earlier run by former HOD Medicine, Dr Ganzaffar, but after his retirement, the new HOD, Dr Perwaiz Shah, refused to run it.
The Principal said that now the GMC has taken over the drug counter and a committee has been formed that was currently doing stock verification of the counter. “Once the verification is over, the drug counter will be made operational”, he said adding that for the time being the patients have been asked to get the medicine and necessary gadgets from the SKIMS drug store.
However, for the past 3 months, the patients have to go all the way from SMHS to SKIMS hospital in Soura for the purchase of the emergency drugs and necessary medical equipment from the SKIMS drug store.
The attendants of Hameeda Begum of Tral (MRD No. 37949) who is admitted at SMHS hospital, Srinagar had to purchase the stunt and its accessories from SKIMS drugs sale counter last week.
Hameeda is not the only patient whose attendants had to go to SKIMS for purchase of stunt, pacemaker or angiographic medical but all the patients have been facing this problem for past over 3 months.
There are around 40 sizes of stunts and if the patient does not get the required size of the stunt at the time he/she is on the operation table it can lead to death of the patient, says a senior doctor at the SMHS.
The SMHS hospital conducts 4-5 angiographies every day and the attendants of the patients have to buy angiography catheters, introducer sheeths, guide-wires, manifold, contrast dye and other medical equipment needed for it from SKIMS counter.
The pacemakers are not also available at the drug counter and they too are to be purchased from the SKIMS.
Sources said that these all items were available at the SMHS counter but have been stopped for unknown reasons. The SMHS higher ups have given verbal directions to the SKIMS drug counter to provide drugs and equipment for the patients who are admitted in SMHS hospital.
The hospitals didn’t purchase the equipment but different vendors keep it at the sales counter of the hospitals and patients had to make payment to the vendors after implantation of stunts and pacemakers.
The attendants of the patients are surprised over the issue and demanded that the emergency drugs and medical equipment should be made available at SMHS drug counter.
Follow our WhatsApp channel