Lack of basic facilities in hospitals in rural areas force patients to come to city center
People in the lower income group find themselves stranded in the city with no support
Srinagar: Unprecedented rush of patents, and an addition of many attendants with each patient, mars the functioning of hospitals and has created problems in the health care sector. Contrary to the claims of government that all is well in the healthcare sector, the condition of one of the leading hospitals in terms of patient load, SMHS Hospital, is pathetic, and the hospital is in crises.
Officials said that patients from periphery areas have to rely on this hospital due to lack of proper infrastructure in other hospitals.
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With no accountability and enforcement of discipline in the the wards, hundreds of people can be seen moving around in the corridoors looking for help, creating commotion inside the hospital in the evening hours.
Attendants accompanying patients were seen taking meals in the corridors and creating hindrance in walking of visitors. Amidst this rush, patients find it difficult even to walk through the corridor.
Stating that present mess has resulted owing to lack of monitoring that has allowed attendants to let go inside hospitals without any restriction, a senior medico said, “authorities have failed to reduce the attendants rush like in other hospitals as a precautionary measure for the patients”.
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“Visitors in groups stand hurdled around kerosene stoves to cook meals in the evening hours, as every patient comes with at least five attendants. There are no restrictions on the attendants, who accompany in large numbers with their patients,” said an official of hospital.
He believes, there always remains the risk that patients might get infected as they carry number of attendants with them and create suffocation inside wards.
“Come in the evening, you will see hundreds of people lying across the corridors and in wards of the hospital,” an official at Bone and Joint Hospital Barazulla told this reporter.
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“Does this look like a hospital? I feel as I am on the busy street. This is so chaotic.”
While the attendants accompanying the patients have a different say about the matter.
“My son is admitted here for the past three days. We have no relative in Srinagar and we are too poor to stay at the hotel. So we cook meals inside the premises of hospital,” said Abdul Jabar, a resident of Anantnag.
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He said, he had to bring his son from Anantnag District Hospital as the hospital was lacking basic infrastructure there.
A senior official on the condition of anonymity said, “Hospitals in Srinagar are overloaded with the patients and with their attendants coming from periphery areas, which at times become difficult for the management to manage,” he suggested.
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(With inputs from KNS)
