Excelsior Correspondent
BHADERWAH, July 3: It is very astonishing that at a time when the Government is claiming to enhance the Medicare facilities in J&K, Sub District Hospital (SDH) Bhaderwah is providing medical facilities to animals rather than patients.
The photograph taken by the photojournalist of Excelsior clearly indicated donkeys standing outside ECG and X-Ray Centre of SDH and no official has been seen in the Centre.
Catering to the needs of thousands of people residing in Bhaderwah and adjoining areas, the treatment process in SDH is alarming, as the patients were preferring private clinics for treatment due to the presence of animals in the compound of the hospital and absence of staff including doctors, official sources told Excelsior.
They added that the animals moving inside the ECG and X-Ray Centre of SDH showed the apathy of the district administration vis-à-vis officials appointed in SDH.
“Shifting their responsibility, the doctors appointed in SDH usually refer the patients to District Hospital Doda and Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for treatment so as to hide the condition of the hospital, where maximum times, animals could be seen moving”, they said.
They said that various times it has been seen that animals move inside the premises of SDH and even enter some of the centres like ECG and X-Ray Centre, but due to lethargic approach of the officials, no concrete steps have been taken in this regard, which proves fatal for the patients sometimes.
During any accident case, a patient had to go through X-Ray on war-footing, but the movement of animals inside the X-Ray department clearly indicated as to how much the doctors are concerned about the health care facilities in the hospital, sources added.
“35 posts of doctors and para-staff are almost vacant in this hospital but Government has taken no initiative in this regard”, they said, adding that several times people protested against the Government and the Health Department to appoint full-fledged staff in the SDH, but no action has been taken till date, leaving the patients at stake.
Akshra Devi, one of the attendants of the patient while talking to Excelsior told that ‘their family member fell down from the stairs late night and when taken to SDH, she was referred to GMC Jammu for treatment”.
“Only one doctor was available in the hospital at that time”, he said, adding that the doctor referred their patient to Jammu Hospital during odd hours, rather than providing medical treatment in SDH”.
When contacted Block Medical Officer (BMO) Bhaderwah Kulbhushan told that the renovation work of the hospital is going on and that could be one of the reasons that donkeys might have entered the ECG and X-Ray Centre of SDH.
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