Anantnag: Lack of medical facilities and shortage of infrastructure including beds, are grievously hitting the patients care in the Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag while doctors and paramedical staff have to face the anger of attendants due to discrepancy in services.
As per source, the lack of space followed with shortage of beds at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag is forcing the medicos to keep emergency patients on trolleys in the medical wards. The hospital authorities however blamed Jammu & Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) for its failure to construct the timely five-storey block (A) building of the hospital.
A number of times doctors have to face the anger of the attendants over the shortage of beds and other others medical facilities but they do not understand that doctors are not responsible to ensure that facilities available to patients were adequate, “a few doctors, seeking anonymity said.
They further added that when patient get admission in the hospital, he/she finds no bed available, therefore breaking out an altercation with the doctors and paramedical staff.
Sharing his tale of woes, Abdul Rashid (65), an attendant with his wife admitted in the hospital said, “This is the worst experience of our life. I have never seen such a hospital where patients are treated like animals. Two or three patients have been adjusted on each single bed. You can imagine how two or three patients are adjusted on a single bed.”
“My wife was shifted in this ward two days back after she developed some complications and since then she has been sharing the bed with another female patient. Every bed is occupied by at least two or three patients”, said Abdul Hameed of Dialgam, standing beside his ailing wife.
The government had approved the newly 300-bedded hospital for the district twelve years ago. As per the architectural design, the hospital had three blocks. The executing agency for the project is JKPCC. After the completion of block C, the health authorities in 2014 shifted the hospital from old to new building hoping end to the problem of space shortage.
Two years ago, the hospital was converted into a medical college bringing excitement in the locals that the healthcare will improve. But despite being converted into a medical college, the space crunch both in IPD and OPD and the shortage of beds continues to irritate the patients.
Interestingly, a local photojournalist recently captured pictures of three patients lying on trolleys in the medical ward of the healthcare facility. One five-month pregnant female on the trolley had been referred to the medical college from maternity hospital for gastroenterology disorder.
Principal GMC Anantnag, Dr. Showkat Geelani while talking to Kashmir News Tr admitted the construction work was stopped two years ago and the matter stands in the court.
He added: “From last one year the work on the block (A), one of the major blocks of the hospital as per architecture is at complete halt. We have to manage the things in just two blocks creating space crunch in the hospital.”
Replying to a question about the shortage of beds, Geelani said: “We have sufficient beds available in the hospital but due to lack of space we are unable to place them in the institute.” (KNT)
