Long wait at rural hospitals irks patients

Srinagar, Aug 18: Waiting for long hours is turning out to be a troublesome experience for many patients in several areas of Kashmir owing the shortage of doctors.
Many patients who visit rural hospitals have a bad experience as they have to wait for their turn in the out patients department for long hours which even last for seven to eight hours.
Junaid Ahmad, a resident of Ganderbal who accompanied her wife to DH in the district said it was a troublesome experience for many patients who end up visiting private clinics.
“It took us two hours to get an OPD ticket. Then it took us five hours to wait for the consultation. Even if people are lined up the same doctors also get emergency cases which should be managed by other doctors not by ones who are in the OPDS,” he said.
Junaid said there are people who travel 50-60 kilometres to get treated and this is the major problem for them.
“Imagine you are a patient and visit a hospital and there are over a hundred patients. Once can imagine how much time a patient gets in a government hospital,” he said.
The attendant said the delay in consultation and long hours waiting time in OPDs are compelling patients to visit private clinics and many don’t afford to go to private doctors.
“Because of the longer wait times locally, many attendants routinely advise their patients to go to private clinics for a second or specialist opinion,” he added.
Similar complaints have poured in from District Hospital Handwara where people said it was extremely difficult in hospitals to look at all the patients who keep waiting.
Three days ago, Aqib Ahmad, from Handwara said he visited the hospital in the morning and the OPD was flooded with patients compelling him to reschedule his visit to afternoon.
“I asked a doctor and he told me to come after 3 p.m. I was having a high grade fever,” he said.
Aqib said common people who come from far flung areas hardly have their transport facilities and reach back home late night hours which is common in the district.
“This is a serious concern. There is a shortage of specialist doctors due to the lack of which people are compelled to visit private clinics,” he said.
Sadam Ahmad, a resident of Tangdar said the only 30-bedded Sub District Hospital, Tangdar has faced neglect over the years and there is shortage of doctors. He said there are some three PHCs at Gabra, Chitter Kout and Teetwal and each PHC has only one doctor.
“There is only one doctor at the PHCs and patients suffer a lot. The doctors of the PHCs often prefer to treat patients at the SDH Tangdar which is also worrisome,” he said.
As per health officials, there are over 117 posts of MBBS doctors vacant in the entire Kupwara district. Not only this, officials said some 32 posts of consultants also remain vacant in the district.
The spokesperson, Directorate of Health Services Kashmir, Dr Mir Mushtaq said that OPDs in hospitals remain flooded with people and there is huge stress on government hospitals. “It depends on the flow of patients. Sometimes patients have to wait and patients have to be patient,” he said.