Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 18: The presence of a single ticket counter is causing an undue delay in the treatment at District Hospital Pulwama in South Kashmir.
The worst sufferers are the patients who need emergency care as they lose crucial time in getting a ticket. “I experienced a severe headache this morning and immediately visited the hospital, but have to wait at the ticket counter for about 15-20 minutes. The doctor who attended me was surprised to see me walking as my blood pressure had shot up to a dangerous level,” a patient said, adding that every day hundreds of patients like him have to wait at the ticket counter for hours.
The ticket counter cannot cater to the tremendous rush of patients that the hospital receives every day. What makes the situation worse for the patients is that they have to rely on the same counter for diagnostic slips.
“If one has to undergo a test, he/she has to rely on the same counter for depositing fees and other formalities,” another patient said. For instance, he added, if a patient needs an immediate X-ray or CTscan, an attendant has to wait for hours in the queue which minimizes the chances of survival for the patient.
The locals said they have been demanding another ticket counter, but their pleas went unheard. “We have been demanding the second counter for some time now, but no one is listening to us,” a local said, adding that they request higher authorities to intervene in the matter.
Pertinently, the patient flow has increased in the hospital for the last couple of years, but ticketing facilities remain same. “The people from the adjoining Shopian, Budgam, and Kulgam districts visit the hospital for better healthcare facility but are often forced to wait in long queues outside the ticket counter, causing immense problems,” a local said.
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