Healthcare hit as GMC B’la faces critical staff shortages

Srinagar, Jan 27: Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla is facing severe manpower shortage in critical areas which has taken a huge toll on patient services in north Kashmir.
Officials said the medical college has no nephrologist, no cardiologist, no neurologist, and there is shortage of orthopedicians, endocrinologists which has affected patients coming from different areas of north Kashmir and compelling them to visit Srinagar hospitals.
An official said the GMC still does not have a nephrologist affecting patient care. The hospital already has a dialysis centre which requires a nephrologist.
Patients said that the lone dialysis facility caters to north Kashmir’s renal patients and the government has failed to post full-fledged nephrologist amid huge patient load.
“We cannot travel to Srinagar for dialysis which is unaffordable for many patients. We appeal to the government to post professional doctors so we do not suffer anymore,” said Junaid Ahmad, who attended with his father at the facility.
The absence of a cardiologist has also hit the patients hard. Officials said recently a lone cardiologist has been transferred due to which patients are compelled to visit Srinagar hospitals for cardiac care.
“The cardiologist who was posted here two years ago had provided huge relief to the patients suffering from cardiac issues in the entire north Kashmir. There should be a cardiologist where the patients will go now, there is a crisis,” said Bilal Ahmad from Baramulla.
The residents of north Kashmir have demanded the appointment of a permanent cardiologist at the medical college to provide cardiac services to the patients
An official at GMC Baramulla said the facility is also facing shortage of nurses and paramedical staff which has taken a huge toll on patient care services.
“We have a shortage of nurses. We have only 50 percent paramedical staff, which has also overburdened the existing staff,” said a senior doctor at the medical college.
He added that many employees have retired, further increasing the number of vacant positions, as the Health and Medical Education Department has yet to provide replacements.
In 2019, the associated hospital of GMC Baramulla which was upgraded from a district hospital to a medical college had been using the manpower of the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir as the government has failed to provide the required manpower.
Officials at GMC Baramulla stated that the administration has raised the issue of vacancies in critical areas with higher authorities and is currently awaiting their response and action to address the matter.
A senior official of the Health and Medical Education Department told Rising Kashmir the department is working and will soon send a cardiologist to GMC Baramulla. “The vacant positions of all paramedical staff have been referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board,” he said.
In May last year, during his visit to GMC Baramulla to bid farewell to its inaugural MBBS batch, Secretary of Health and Medical Education, Dr. Syed Abid Rashid Shah, emphasized the need for infrastructure development at the medical college and assured that any remaining gaps would be addressed in due course.