Srinagar, Jun 05: Srinagar-Leh National Highway, the lone road link connecting Kashmir with Ladakh through Zojila Pass, lacks adequate basic trauma care facilities, reducing the chances of survival in case of accidents along the lengthy highway.
Every year, scores of deaths are caused due to accidents which could be significantly brought down with a robust trauma system, which is not up to the mark.
On the highway from both the Kashmir and Ladakh sides, there are hardly any trauma care facilities. Accidents near Zojila Pass and beyond compel people to transport trauma victims directly to Srinagar, requiring a journey of over 110 kilometers.
Few years back, a PHC was upgraded to a trauma care unit at Gund in Ganderbal but the trauma care remains on papers only as the centre has faced government neglect.
Bashir Ahmad, a resident, stated that although the health department’s designated trauma centre had an operation theater installed 10 years ago, it has not been made functional since its commissioning.
The local said not a single emergency trauma case has not been handled at the hospital adding the health department had also procured other machinery which is gathering dust there. He added the department is silent on the issue.
“There is no surgeon to do the minor surgeries. It lacks manpower due to which patient care is compromised. When the centre was established, we were promised that it would have better trauma care facilities. Practically they did nothing,” he said.
Irshad Ahmad, a local resident, said, “Ours is a huge area and road accidents often happen and injured persons are shifted to SKIMS and SMHS.” “Earlier, an orthopaedician was posted at Gund hospital however after some time he was transferred,” he said.
In September last year, the health department had stated that they will take up the matter of OT with concerned authorities, but despite that it continues to remain dysfunctional.
Pertinent to mention here, Last month, a truck driver from Ganderbal was injured in a road accident at Minamarg side and he was taken to Kargil hospital where he was not satisfied with the treatment and later he had to return back to Srinagar foe treatment.
Health officials said the department has established trauma hospitals and agreed that lack of planning was affecting their functioning. They said the trauma hospitals were felicitation centres or first aid centres but were wrongly designated as trauma hospitals.
“Trauma hospitals along the National Highway-1 at every 20 kilometres are required with adequately trained staff and critical care ambulances,” the officials said.
Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Mushtaq Rather said that the trauma care facilities have been upgraded in the valley and it is the priority of the government.
Officials of the health department also said at certain places there might be some issues which are being looked into. “It is the desire of the government that we should have full-fledged trauma facilities particularly on the National Highway and other places,” they said.
The Zojila Pass on the National Highway has witnessed road accidents during which many lives have been lost. In the recent past, nearly a dozen persons died in fatal accidents along the Zojila Pass.
People from Ganderbal side and Kargil sides who regularly travel on this highway, said the mountainous Zojila Pass from Baltal to Zero Point lacks basic facilities including safety measures that could have minimised the risk of accidents and fatalities.
There are three categories of trauma hospitals: level-1, level-2 and level-3. SKIMS Srinagar, SMHS and Super Specialty hospitals come under level-1 category. The trauma centres fall in level-3 hospitals and are meant for minor critical services.
