Rodents plague hospital, patients complain of sleepless nights
Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Dec 6: Much to the distress of the patients, the Mother and Childcare Hospital Anantnag in South Kashmir is battling with inadequate space and operates from an unsafe building.
The 100 bedded hospital is insufficient to cater to the huge rush of patients it receives every day. Not only are wards facing space crunches, operation theatre and gynae units also grapple for space. “Multiple patients occupy a single bed, hospital is overcrowded and noisy. People usually jostle with each other to move in the hospital,” Asif Ahamd, a local said.
After the building was declared unsafe by Fire and Services Department the government planned to shift the hospital and a new block was constructed at the district hospital for the purpose. However, some of the shopkeepers used their political influence to derail the process. “The hospital was shifted for one day only. The order was revoked overnight,” a local said.
To mitigate the crises the authorities decided to shift the hospital to an abandoned building of a private trust. Subsequently, the renovation and expansion of the building also started but the facility remains incomplete with authorities blaming the ongoing situation for the delay. The new 300 bedded facility would be provided with a spacious laboratory, operation theatre and intensive care unit.
Principal Government Medical College, Anantnag, Dr Showkat Jeelani, told Excelsior that Government is actively considering the shifting of the hospital. “Government is actively considering shifting the hospital to Rehmat-e-Alam Hospital as the existing building has inadequate space and is weak. The work was going on smoothly until situation worsened here,” he said.
Jeelani said that paramilitary forces occupied the building ahead of 5th August and that further delayed the process. “The CRPF has taken the building so the work is suspended. Government has issued passes but they (Construction Company) still are facing problems,” he said.
Another problem the patients are facing in the hospital is the free movement of rodents. The patients’ complained that the fear of getting bitten keeps them awake whole night. “The rats can badly harm the children. How can rats roam freely in a hospital where new born children are being treated? ” Sumaira, an attendant asked.
Jeelani, however, blamed congestion for this problems as well. “We can give anti rodent treatment to the rats and Government has a separate budget for that because they harm patients. But congestion has caused this problem as well,” he said.
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