Adil Lateef
Srinagar, Aug 30: Key testing machines at Government Chest Disease (CD) Hospital in Dalgate area of summer capital, which is visited by hundreds of patients’ everyday, are lying defunct since months while newly established special H1N1 ward is non-functional.
Insiders told Excelsior that the ultrasound machine in the CD Hospital is lying defunct for last several months and as a result, the patients, who come from length and breadth of Valley to the Kashmir’s premier respiratory disease hospital, are left with no option but to turn towards private testing centres who charge huge amounts.
The insiders revealed that the pulmonary Sonography testing machine is also lying defunct due to snag for last four weeks. The importance of this machine can be gauged from the fact that a patient has to wait for nearly two years for his turn to perform this test at the CD Hospital. A senior doctor said that the pulmonary Sonography is done only at CD Hospital in entire Jammu and Kashmir and that is why a patient has to wait for so long.
As a result of defunct testing machines, the patients are suffering immensely but the concerned authorities are yet to take any step for restoring these machines. “Not only new patients are suffering but the old ones who have been waiting for years for pulmonary sonography test are also suffering because they can’t go to any other place for same,” admitted the doctors at CD Hospital.
While the patients have to suffer as a result of defunct machines, the Valley’s first exclusive swine flu (H1N1) ward at CD Hospital is also lying non-functional. With surge in swine flu cases and deaths in various States, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) two days ago sounded an alert and asked health authorities in Kashmir to be prepared for contingencies.
The work on swine flu ward at Chest Disease Hospital began in March 2015 and it was slated to be inaugurated in November 2015. However, the first deadline of the completion of the ward was missed as the pace of work slowed down due to some official decisions. The ward was finally completed in January this year but since then it has not been made functional, said official sources.
Medical Superintendent (MS) CD Hospital, Dr Jehangir when contacted by phone refused to say anything.
Principal GMC, Dr Saima Rasheed when contacted admitted that ultrasound and pulmonary Sonography testing machines are lying defunct at the CD Hospital. “There was some snag in these machines and that is why they are not functional. But we will restore them soon,” she said.
The GMC Principal also admitted that H1N1 ward is non-functional but assured that the ward would also be made functional shortly.
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