The Jammu and Kashmir government stated that a proposal for establishment of 17 trauma centers in the state has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for sanction.
The Jammu and Kashmir government stated that a proposal for establishment of 17 trauma centers in the state has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for sanction and funding at the assembly in Jammu on Wednesday.
Minister for Health and Family Welfare Sham Lal Sharma said the proposal for establishment of 17 trauma centers in the state, including at Banihal and Ramsoo, had been passed on to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and that the government has adopted population norms for plain and hilly areas for setting up of various health institutions.
But the Trauma Hospital in Kangan tehsil in Ganderbal district in Kashmir which was inaugurated two years ago in a remote area, which also serves as a sub-district hospital and a Community Health Centre with its skeletal staff remains neglected by the state. Speaking to DNA, on condition of anonymity, a doctor said, “Our responsibilities have increased, but the facilities and the vacant posts have remained the same over the years.”
With Kangan block’s population of 1.22lakh, over the years, the number of patients has steadily increased. “We see 300 patients a day,” said a member of the hospital’s staff. Catering to locals who travel all the way from Gurez and Kargil, the hospital also treats Gujjars, tribals and migrants from Afghanistan.
“Because we treat people from a mixed culture, we, as doctors, have even learnt to understand their different languages and dialects,” explained a senior doctor. In addition, if a major accident has occurred on the closest national Highway, patients are rushed to this hospital.
With staff strength of 60, departments such as General OPD, Pediatrics, Orthopedic OPD, Gastroenterology, Surgery, ENT and Ophthalmology function as well as expected. The sub-district hospital has also made room to treat infectious diseases. Incidentally, doctors say that they have managed to contain the high rate of prevalence of TB and Leprosy in the patients that reported to them.
The hospital also implements the Centre’s various national health programmes for TB, Leprosy and Blindness. After 106 major surgeries in February, doctors feel that facilities need to improve here as the per capita income of the people is low. “They barely have money to travel, leave alone for proper food and medicine. Why should we have to refer them to Srinagar? The facilities here need improvement,” an anesthetist stated.
Out of the six ambulances, only four are functional revealed a source.
He added that there was a need for fax and internet facilities for starts. There’s also a deficit of general practitioners, nursing staff and sweepers at the hospital, he added. Surgeons operate for 36 hours in shifts. “Here, a doctor ends up being responsible for several department as vacancies haven’t been filled in years. Despite all these problems, we manage to get things done,” he ended.
Then there’s the problem of filling vacancies. “In fact, we have asked patients to sweep the wards every morning as we have a shortage of sweepers here – it’s public participation which helps us.”
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