Srinagar, Oct 28: Many rural hospitals in Kashmir Valley are facing a shortage of specialist doctors and the posts have not been created and filled, leaving the patients to suffer.
The health department has failed to post specialised doctors for a trauma hospital in Pattan township having no doctors for trauma care.
The trauma facility was aimed to tackle emergencies that take place on the Srinagar-Muzzafarabad highway prone to road accidents. The lack of trauma facilities in the entire north Kashmir is putting the lives of persons suffering from traumatic injuries at grave risk.
After the opening of the trauma hospital, health authorities are still mute as they have failed to sanction posts of specialist doctors for providing immediate medical aid.
A few years back, the health department had also designated trauma hospitals at Gund Ganderbal, Lawaypora, Rafiabad, Anantnag and Kazigund. But all these trauma care centres are on paper only as these face manpower issues.
The emergency hospital Kazigund, which is situated on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, is also facing infrastructure and manpower issues they sometimes can’t handle serious injuries.
In north Kashmir, there are 117 posts of MBBS doctors vacant in the entire Kupwara district. part from that, 32 posts of consultants are vacant in the district.
The associated hospital of Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla is also facing a manpower shortage which affects patient care services.
Officials said some 90 positions across various cadres are lying vacant in different hospital sections, due to which the vital facility is suffering affecting patient care services.
The Rural Health Statistics (RHS) report 2021-22 of the Union Health Ministry has revealed that 620 posts of doctors at PHCs across rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir are vacant affecting healthcare services and continuing to put an extra burden on tertiary care hospitals.
The report said that at Community Health Centres (CHCs) across JK, 28 posts of surgeons, 24 posts of physicians, 25 posts of physicians and 101 posts of specialist doctors, 210 posts of eye surgeons and 21 posts of anaesthetists are also lying vacant.
The pediatric services also remain affected as 25 posts of paediatricians are also vacant at the CHCs in rural areas which compels people to visit district and tertiary care hospitals.
The maternity services also remain affected due to a shortage of doctors. As of March 31, 2022, 24 posts of obstetricians and gynaecologists are vacant at CHCs in rural areas.
The lack of healthcare facilities in rural areas is evident by the fact that patients across places are compelled to move to district or sub-district hospitals for treatment of minor ailments.
A senior official said that the health department J&K has established five New GMCs at Anantnag, Baramulla, Rajouri, Doda and Kathua and two more are being established at Udhampur and Handwara, thus increasing the number of MBBS seats from the existing 500 to 1100.
He said with the operationalisation of Udhampur and Handwara GMCs, it will become 1300. In the next two years, the shortage of doctors in the rural areas will start to decrease.
“Manpower enhancement is a regular process. Efforts are being made to fill the post created for the purpose as well,” the official said.
