|| BASHARAT RASHID
Poor infrastructure and lack of specialists in healthcare centres in Pulwama district is an ugly reality that puts a challenge for the government to enhance healthcare services in the district . The main areas of Pulwama district like Tral, Pampore, and Awantipora have facilities like hospitals, primary health centres (PHCs) and sub-centres. However, most of these centres have neither specialist doctors nor required technical infrastructure, adequate manpower or professionals.
Most of the primary health centres and Sub centres also lack essential medicines from long time which goes unchecked, causing hardships to the people especially in far flung areas mostly in Tral Sub Division. “We are visiting to our nearby Sub health centres for medical checkup but we always face problems as nothing is available there like medicines, equipments and proper staff, “ said the residents of Tral Villages while talking to Kashmir Leader. A visit to the hospitals of Pulwama district here in South Kashmir is enough to see the situations there .
The hospitals , housed in a decent building of its own, lacks even the basic amenities and is severely short of adequate staff and doctors and machines in many hospitals. The Sub District Hospital Tral, 45 kilometres from Srinagar City, has only around 20 doctors attending to over thousands of patients visiting its outpatient department (OPD) daily. The hospital is dependent on two or three surgeons who are overburdened with responsibilities.
A visit to the hospitals of Pulwama district here in South Kashmir is enough to see the situations there .The hospitals , housed in a decent building of its own, lacks even the basic amenities and is severely short of adequate staff and doctors and machines in many hospitals.
The Sub District Hospital Tral lacks basic amenities like modern equipments includes Endoscopy, Digital XRay, MRI, CT Scan etc. and also doctors like ENT, Eye specialist,Radiologist etc which is the matter of serious concern as locals continues to suffer in the town.
What seems to be herculean task for the new dispensation in Jammu and Kashmir is putting back on track the health care centres at South Kashmir’s Pulwama district that have so far been in shamblesthanks to the non- serious approach of state’s successive regimes.
“The hospital is heavily short of staff. I am a surgeon and Block Medical Officer Tral. We don’t have ENT, Eye specialist, Radiologist and Orthopedics specialist in the hospital. And, in most of the cases, we have to refer the patients to Srinagar hospitals as have better facilities there ,” said Dr Shakeel Ahmad Bhat , Block Medical Officer Tral. People have expressed resentment over the lack of proper healthcare facilities in the hospital from long time. “The lack of doctors in the sub district hospital Tral has severely hobbled the patient care at the hospital,” Said a patient at SDH Tral. Meanwhile, The residents of Pastuna village in Tral of Pulwama district have expressed concern over dilapidated condition of Sub Health Centre (SHC) in their locality.
“In absence of repairs, walls have become weak now and have developed cracks. There is every risk that the structure may collapse any time. In case of any eventuality, the staff working inside may face consequences. It seems concerned authorities are waiting for the disaster to happen. We appeal the concerned authorities to look into the matter,” locals said while talking to Kashmir Leader . The Sub Health Centre Pastuna Tral, one of the oldest health centers in Tral, is operating from a private building.
The weak structure of the building is posing threat to the staff as well as the visitors, locals added. They said the center has no space even for the staff to sit properly. Local residents also said that Pastuna Sub Health Centre despite being the oldest has been neglected by government. “The Sub Centre is running from a private building which was constructed in 90’s. But despite being the oldest it lies in shambles, they added. The residents urged the authorities to look into the matter as early as possible. However , The situation is same in other parts of the town and district where the people blamed to have lack of basic amenities in the Primary Health Centres, Sub Centres and in Hospitals. The people while talking to Kashmir Leader Urged the authorities to provide all the facilities including doctors and equipments to all the places of Pulwama so that local people will not suffer in future.
The Sub District Hospital Tral, 45 kilometres from Srinagar City, has only around 20 doctors attending to over thousands of patients visiting its out-patient department (OPD) daily. The hospital is dependent on two or three surgeons who are overburdened with responsibilities.
The Sub District Hospital Tral lacks basic amenities like modern equipments includes Endoscopy, Digital X-Ray, MRI, CT Scan etc. and also doctors like ENT, Eye specialist, Radiologist etc which is the matter of serious concern as locals continues to suffer in the town.
The Sub Health Centre Pastuna Tral, one of the oldest health centers in Tral, is operating from a private building. The weak structure of the building is posing threat to the staff as well as the visitors.
What seems to be herculean task for the new dispensation in Jammu and Kashmir is putting back on track the health care centres at South Kashmir’s Pulwama district that have so far been in shambles- thanks to the non- serious approach of state’s successive regimes.
