Excelsior Correspondent
MENDHAR, Apr 28: Located in the foothills of Pir- Panjal range, Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Mendhar in district Poonch lacks in basic facilities, resulting in the huge inconveniences to the patients.
Residents of Mendhar tehsil say, there are often casualtiesresulting from the cross-border firing and shelling in the area and due to lack of emergency medical facilities, the patients are referred to either District Hospital Rajouri or to GMC Hospital, Jammu.
The tehsil is located 210 km from winter capital Jammu and 60 kilometers from district headquarters Poonch.
“Due to shelling and natural calamities, the people often receive injuries and loose even body parts. But there are no facilities in the sub-district hospital which adds woes of the residents living in the border area,” Balram Sharma, a local resident told Daily Excelsior.
The tall claims of the Health Department of providing adequate facilities in border hospitals have proved a hoax. The residents have expressed resentment over what they call official apathy.
“Due to non-availability of facilities and special doctors, the hospital regularly refers the patients to Jammu for treatment,” Sharma said.
Expressing displeasure against the Health Department, he said there is no orthopedist in the hospital due to which patients have to travel to longer distance for orthopedic related ailments.
“Who would look after to bone injuries which are common in the border area. There is no Digital X-ray machine, no generator, no blood bank, in the hospital,” he said.
Another resident, Mohammd Showkat Choudhary said that they don’t even get basic health-care in the region.
“There is so much of inconvenience but nobody cares about it. We appeal the authorities to provide basic facilities necessary for a health center,” he demanded.
Showkat said the non-availability of machines has hit the patient care in the area.
“Whenever, there is any untoward incident the injured are taken to this hospital. There is no machinery in the hospital to take care of patients,” he said.
Showkat further said people from far-off places visit the hospital for treatment but here they get disappointed.
Admitting short comings, due to non-availability of some facilities, Block Medical Officer (BMO) Mendhar, Dr Pervez Ahmed Khan said there are some posts which are vacant in the hospital.
“We need additional staff to run the hospital. It is a border area, anything can happen anytime, we have to be ready,” he said.
BMO further said, they face a lot of problems especially when the electricity goes off at the Emergency and X-ray Unit.
“Two posts of Gynecologist and Physician are lying vacant in the hospital,” he added.
He said this hospital requires a digital X-ray machine which is need of the hour.
“We faced a lot of difficulties during 2015 shelling. The job of ambulance drivers is risky. We have also proposed for a bullet-proof ambulance to tackle emergencies in the area,” BMO said.
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