Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Apr 28: As the Government has designated hospitals in peripheries for the Corona management, the non-COVID patient care especially the Gynae care has taken a hard-hitting while it has added to the patient rush for Srinagar hospitals.
Neither SKIMS Medical College and Hospital, Bemina, nor the Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial (JLNM) Hospital, Rainawari is open for the non-COVID Gynae cases owing to the Govt’s categorization of hospitals as a part of its COVID-19 management, leaving out only a few takers for non-COVID gynae cases.
The North Kashmir is relying on the SDH Pattan for non-COVID treatment. The hospital is operating with the help of minimal facilities and inadequate bed strength.
As the District Hospital (DH) Baramulla remains already overloaded, the non-COVID gynae patients from Kupwara, Handwara and Sopore reach SDH Pattan or Srinagar if it happens to be a complicated one.
The SDH Sopore which is equipped with a number of facilities including that of an operation theatre and blood bank has been categorized for the management of COVID19, just the labour room and the general OPD left open at the hospital.
Sources told Excelsior that no emergency general surgeries are carried out, and if there are gynae cases, the patients are referred to SDH Pattan or DH Baramulla. “If there are any complications, the patient is directly shifted to Srinagar which usually is the case-there is a lot that such patients undergo,” he said.
While suggesting otherwise, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Baramulla Dr Deeba Khan told Excelsior that they are managing the patients well at SDH Pattan.
“We started yesterday and in one day we carried out 5 normal deliveries and 3 Lower Segment Caesarean Section (LSCS); which indicates that we are doing well,” she said and feigned ignorance when asked about the bed strength and other facilities at SDH Pattan.
With Sopore being the centre for areas falling in the north, the local healthcare infrastructure remains under-used in the area. There already are a few healthcare facilities such as some nursing homes which could easily manage the bed strength of more than 150, but, the Government did the opposite.
A little peek into the geography of the area revealed that SDH Pattan is 20 kms away from Sopore, making it 57 kilometres for a patient being referred from Kupwara (37 kms from Kupwara-Sopore) and 44 kilometres for a patient being referred from Handwara (24 kilometres from Sopore-Handwara).
“It turns out to be a long story if the patient is then referred to Srinagar,” the locals said.
Amid such a scenario-also true for other areas of Kashmir as well-the ultimate patient load is reaching Lal Ded Hospital in Srinagar. The hospital has turned out to be a lone warrior to take care of pregnant ladies. Alongside LD, maternity wing of SKIMS, with a capacity of at least 100 beds, is also taking care of such patients.
A doctor working at the hospital told Excelsior on the condition of anonymity that the patient rush at the Lal Ded Hospital has increased even as the manpower remains the same.
The situation has turned grave for the staff and other patients as the hospital, according to the categorization of the Government, has to take care of the suspect COVID-19 patients as well.
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