Set to establish 24×7 services in 6 more specialities
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Apr 28: Directorate of Health Service, Kashmir (DHSK) is mulling and is taking a slew of measures to ensure a substantial decrease in the load from the districts on the tertiary care hospitals in Srinagar, by starting round the clock services in 6 specialities, the process which has been already started.
In this regard, a committee of 4 members has already been formed by the DHSK which is currently visiting districts across Kashmir to assess the feasibility as well as viability for setting up such facilities, which includes doctors, support staff as well as the necessary machinery and space.
‘The committee constituted is visiting the districts these days and is exploring the possibilities of how many doctors could be used for the start of these services across Kashmir districts apart from other arrangements,” officials said.
As per the officials, the committee will come up with a preliminary report concerning the feasibility of the start of these services in mid-May. “The committee will identify the hospitals where there is a need for augmentation and similarly, the necessary proposal will be submitted to the directorate for the same.”
The members of the committee will meet the concerned CMOs and will assess the feasibility in every district. The committee will be ascertaining the availability of resources as of now, and wherever the resources would turn out to be up to the mark, they will recommend the start of the services.
Dr Mir Mushtaq-who is a Nodal Officer of 24×7 speciality services of DHSK-told Excelsior that it has always remained a concern for the Directorate as to why the hospitals in peripheries were not offering round the clock services despite expert manpower.
“It was then suggested to the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) H&ME that we could pool the staff from nearby hospitals for setting up 24×7 services, for which, a nod was given and work was started,” he said.
Earlier, the DHSK had set up round the clock orthopaedic clinics in 5 hospitals in Kashmir districts soon after a massive fire gutted the building of B&J Hospital, Barzulla and the same turned out to be a grand success, prompting the authorities to go for more such clinics in different other specialities
Officials said that it was a blessing in disguise when the blaze destroyed B&J that the DHSK ordered starting round the clock orthopaedic facilities in districts, “that turned out to be successful and absence of services at B&J was not felt.”
By setting up the specialist facilities in districts, officials said, they want to upgrade District Hospitals in districts and at the same time, ensure people get the services at their doorsteps.
“Apart from that the move is also aimed at avoiding the unnecessary referrals and de-burdening the tertiary care hospitals; with decreasing the peripheral load, it will pave a way for the tertiary to work more effectively.”
He said that if implemented properly the move is going to be a game-changer, and can be termed as the best decision taken for the first time in the history of healthcare delivery in Kashmir
Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Rather said that setting up such facilities has been on his mind ever since he assumed the charge.
“Today, we are inching towards implementing it as we work for comforting people. There are clear cut directions from the ACS Vivek Bhardwaj as well that people should be provided with quality healthcare at their doorsteps,” he said.
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