Srinagar, Jan 29: Giving a tough time to the thousands of patients visiting Anantnag’s lone Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH), in South Kashmir’s, the hospital has been left in neglect while it continues to operate in an unsafe building affecting the patient care.
Currently, the hospital in Sheerbagh area and an associated hospital of GMC Anantnag operates in a dilapidated building. The facility serves patients from the entire southern Kashmir, Chenab, and Pir Panjal.
Those visiting the hospital revealed that MCCH lacks several amenities, with only one theater available, leading to patients frequently sharing beds. “There is a shortage of space and inadequate sanitation and hygiene facilities,” an attendant said.
The hospital has only 40 beds with an average of more than 40,000 patients in the Out-patient Department (OPD) and about 7,000 indoor patients every month. It gets patients from different areas of south Kashmir leaving it overburdened.
Officials said in 2015, the health department decided to shift the MCCH to Rehmat I Alam hospital building, which belonged to Rehmat-e-Alam Trust, located at KP road which was taken over by the government in 2017 but is yet to be shifted.
They said later in March 2020, the Indian Institute of Technology Jammu conducted a safety audit of the under-construction Rehmat I Alam Hospital building.
Patients from Anantnag said that the old hospital building has been declared unsafe and is not fit to be used as a hospital and it was putting the lives of patients at risk.
“We do not know why it has not been shifted. The building has been declared unsafe and any incident can happen anytime and people are at risk,” said Ishfaq Ahmad, an attendant.
The persistent lack of space has affected patient healthcare, sometimes compelling doctors to unnecessarily refer pregnant women and children to Srinagar hospitals. The hospital has also gained attention for unfortunate incidents involving the loss of expecting mothers’ lives.
Director (Coordination), New Medical Colleges, J&K, Dr Yashpal Sharma said that the Jammu and Kashmir government sanctioned funds for Rehmat I Alam hospital building.
“There was a need to strengthen the hospital (Rehmat I Alam) building. The MCCH would be shifted to the new building after the needful works are done. It will be shifted once the works are done and there will be over 200 beds for the maternity and hold care. There is also land available which may be used for other activities as well,” he said.
