Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 14: With the tertiary hospitals remaining shut since the onslaught of floods, the Valley’s healthcare crisis will not be over as the Government today said that it will take “four months to completely restore” all the hospitals which were damaged by the last month’s devastating floods.
“The hospitals have been cleaned of the slush left by the floods. We lack equipment and it will take us 3-4 months to fully restore them,” Minister for Health and Medical Education Taj Mohi-ud-Din told Excelsior.
“Only urgent, essential equipment like x-ray machines, MRI has been sent which will reach here in three days. In Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine, vital magnets have been restored which will work within three days in all hospitals which were affected by the floods,” Taj said.
Last month’s flood onslaught has destroyed essential equipment in six premier hospitals in Srinagar including Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, only maternity Lal Ded and pediatric GB Pant Hospital.
Taj said in SMHS 90 percent of its equipment was damaged due to the floods worth 200 crore, while in other hospitals damage was not of that magnitude. He said his Ministry is focusing to restore SMHS Hospital on priority.
The Minister said that all the hospitals have been kept under observation and micro-cleaning is going on. “We have to completely make the hospitals clean and free from bacteria. Heads of the departments have been asked to monitor themselves the micro-cleaning process. They will examine their departments themselves and when they are convinced about the cleanliness, they will make wards functional for patients,” he said.
Asked what strategy the Government has thought if such natural calamities strike the Valley, Taj said the Ministry is creating a mechanism where all the hospitals will remain functional if such kind of floods hit the region again.
“All the essential equipment will be kept in the first floor in all the hospitals. Power and oxygen plant will be kept on a raised platform in the hospital premises where floodwaters can’t reach,” Minister said, adding if only power and oxygen plant remain unaffected by floods, a hospital could be run in a boat.
He said if floods hit Valley again its level and magnitude would not be so high like that of the last month. “I had identified its magnitude five years ago when I was the Minister of Flood Control. Floods will not affect the first floor of the hospitals if it hits again, so I am sure that all the hospitals will functions in case of floods,” he said.
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