Specialist doctors unavailable, 3 medical officer slots unfilled
Over one lakh residents face poor healthcare, travel 20 kilometers for specialist consultations
Kulgam, Aug 03: Sub District Hospital (SDH) Damhal-Hanjipora in Kulgam district lacks specialist doctors, three medical officer posts are lying vacant, impacting the quality of healthcare services in the area of over one lakh population.
Damhal-Hanjipora, comprising of approximately 52 villages and a population of 1,06,817 according to the previous census, relies mostly on SDH D-H Pora for healthcare, which suffers from inadequate staff and infrastructure.
Amjid Ahmad, a local resident said that for basic checkups, they receive only preliminary treatment at the hospital and are often advised to consult specialists elsewhere. He said that for most health issues, they have to travel 20 kilometers to the District Hospital (DH) in Kulgam.
Rising Kashmir learned that a doctor in the day-care unit has to attend to at least 200 patients daily. “We treat patients according to our capabilities and refer them to specialists for necessary consultations,” said a doctor at SDH Damhal-Hanjipora.
The doctor added that many patients seek orthopedic, ENT, or gynaecology advice, but due to the lack of specialists, they are referred to other hospitals.
Official data shows that SDH Damhal-Hanjipora attended to 1,12,573 outpatients and 5,037 inpatients in 2023-24. The hospital provides lab tests, X-rays, USGs, and ECGs and has conducted over 326 normal deliveries, though the operation theater is not operational.
Sajad Ahmad, another local, said that the hospital could have been a significant asset for the 52 villages of Damhal-Hanjipora if it were fully functional.
He called for the swift completion of the new building and the addition of essential specialists like pediatricians and gynecologists, along with an operational theater.
An official from the health department told Rising Kashmir that the SDH D.H. Pora currently has only five medical officers and two dental surgeons, against the sanctioned eight medical officers. The hospital lacks specialists in fields such as general medicine, surgery, gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, and anaesthesiology, unlike other SDHs.
The health official said that the hospital is currently housed in a poor infrastructure while as the new hospital building is under construction and may be completed by the year-end, which could bring in more specialist doctors and staff.
Similarly, the DH Kulgam is having staff strength of SDH while as it functions as DH. Also, Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Pahloo has just two medical officers, who are overwhelmed by the heavy workload. The same situation exists at PHC Manzgam and K.B. Pora.
Despite repeated attempts to reach the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Kulgam, she did not respond to calls and texts.
An official source from the CMO’s office told Rising Kashmir that the issues of vacancies have already been communicated to higher authorities for necessary action.
