Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 2: Inaugurated more than a year ago, the Trauma Centre of Watergam Rafiabad in North Kashmir’s Baramulla lacks all the basic facilities that ideally a Trauma Centre which is equal to a Sub-District Hospital should possess.
As of now, out of total 34 vacancies, only 1 has been filled while 33 remain vacant, while as with regard to machinery, the hospital lacks the same in its entirety.
As per the details, the staff of the adjacent NTPHC has been merged with the Trauma Centre and the patient care is attended to jointly, with NTPHC staff playing the major role. As of now, the patients are attended to in OPD only which remains functional throughout the day even as the Trauma Centre should ideally remain functional round the clock.
“The Trauma Centre as an independent healthcare institution does have neither men nor the machinery which is required for it to functioning as it should be, it is just for the name,” the locals said.
They said that the hospital currently has got a building which was inaugurated in January 2020 by a Union Minister including the beds, while as it lacks in all other basic facilities.
It is to be noted here that the Trauma Centre is located on the Baramulla-Kupwara highway and was designed and built in a manner that it attends to, apart from other basic functions, victims of road traffic accidents; however, the lethargic approach of the authorities has been acting as a hurdle so far.
The hospital if made functional effectively and provided all the machinery and the manpower required can fulfil the healthcare needs of scores of villages that are in its vicinity such as Rohama, Shatloo, Brandub, Khamoo, Braman, Shalkoot, Bulhama, Ladoo, Panzula, Khushpora, Watergam, Dalri, Dangiwacha.
“The Trauma Centre apart from addressing the healthcare needs to the people living in over 12 villages can also prove to be a game-changer in managing the victims of the road accidents which was its basic aim,” the locals said while demanding the process of recruiting the remaining manpower as well as the procurement of the machinery needs to be expedited.
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Dangiwacha Rafiabad Dr Irfan told Excelsior that one doctor has been recently posted to the Trauma centre and also added that the remaining are lying vacant while stating that the process of recruitment is currently on.
“It takes some time for a hospital to develop, the process of recruitment is on, after that the process of procurement of machinery will be carried out, we are hopeful that we might see some more development in this regard in a month or so,” he said.
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