Staff shortage hits patient care in Tangdar

Srinagar, Sept 11: Healthcare services in Tangdar and its surrounding areas face challenges due to a shortage of specialized medical professionals with doctors raising concerns over the need for critical staff like surgeon specialist, gynaecologist and anaesthetist.
A delegation of residents from Tangdar said staff shortage has reached alarming levels in the health block in general and in Sub District Hospital (SDH) Tangdar in particular.
“No full time anaesthetist has joined SDH Tangdar since a local anaesthetist retired two years back after rendering over two decades service in the area. A rotation policy for anaesthetists has been adopted that has seen many breaks in between,” the delegation said.
Many doctors in the past have managed to modify transfer orders from the Tangdar block even without joining here. Doctors did not join at their original place for several months, remained attached elsewhere and have been transferred back.
Rising Kashmir learnt that SDH Tangdar is without any surgeon specialist, Gynaecologist, Orthopaedician, Paediatrician, ENT Specialist, Ophthalmologist and Physician specialist thereby severely affecting the patient’s healthcare.
The civil society and concerned stakeholders demand to upgrade the hospital from 30 to 100 beds, but this request has not been considered, adversely affecting patient care.
Locals said there are nine posts of dental staff in Tangdar block including four dental surgeons, three junior dental technicians, one senior dental technician and one supervisor dental technician.
“One post of Jr. Dental technician is sub judice. Surprisingly three posts of dental surgeons are vacant since their creation decades back. The lone dental surgeon has completed 19 years of service in SDH Tangdar,” they said.
As pet locals out of a sanctioned strength of 149 employees only 56 are in position and a whopping 93 posts are vacant in block.
“Out of 31 sanctioned posts of doctors only 8 are in position and 21 are vacant (including 18 MOs and 3 dental surgeons). Out of a total 118 non-gazetted posts only 47 are in position and 71 are vacant,” they said.
The local said many employees were transferred on promotion but their relievers were not sent. “Many employees have retired and there has been no replacement. Not a single Sufaiwalla was recruited for years whereas several Sufaiwallas have retired in the past.”
For the doctors serving in Tangdar, it is surprising that employees working in Srinagar are getting fatter salaries than those serving in Tangdar.
“This has demoralized many employees. Employees in Srinagar get 18 percent HRA whereas employees in Karnah sub division get 9 percent HRA and a paltry CA that is a joke as living expenses and risk of serving in such areas is concerned,” said a group of doctors.
They said some incentives given to regular doctors for hard area service were suddenly stopped by the department in 2019 without any reason or official communication on such discontinuance.
The doctors demand that health employees should be posted in Tangdar for fixed tenures like Ladakh and given lucrative salaries, and benefits to attract them here.
“There should be a fair transfer policy for those who have rendered prolonged service in Tangdar. Employees should get prized posting after serving in such hard areas and there should be an online option of next posting as is being practiced in the education department,” they said.
The doctors have requested the posting of a surgeon specialist, a gynaecologist, an anaesthetist, two Medical Officers (MBBS) for SDH Tangdar, and one each for PHC Teetwal and Chiterkot.
Chief Medical Officer, Kupwara, Dr Mohammad Ramazan said they have referred the vacant posts to the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir and sent a requisition. “As the recruitment of medical officers is on we hope that some medical officers will come for Tangdar,” he said.