Ganderbal, Oct 25: Residents of Gund Tehsil in Ganderbal district are facing a grave healthcare crisis as the Primary Health Centre (PHC) grapples with a severe shortage of basic medical facilities and paramedical staff, including doctors.
Despite significant investments by the government in advanced medical equipment, the PHC is unable to function efficiently due to the absence of trained technicians, leaving vital equipment unused, the residents told Rising Kashmir.
They said the PHC, which caters to a substantial population, has an Operation Theatre equipped with expensive medical machinery. However, not a single operator has been deployed to operate the machinery, rendering the Operation Theatre non-functional, they said.
“Even the services of a surgeon meant for the Operation Theatre are underutilised. Patients are often left waiting for hours or compelled to seek medical attention at other hospitals and private clinics due to the unavailability of basic tests such as ECG and X-ray,” the residents said.
In addition to the shortage of medical personnel, the PHC grapples with an unreliable electricity supply which further aggravates the healthcare situation, they said.
The locals alleged that despite repeated appeals to concerned officials, no significant steps have been taken to address these issues. “Even attempts to contact the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Ganderbal have gone unanswered, leaving the community without any reassurance of prompt action,” they said.
The CMO Ganderbal did not respond to repeated phone calls by this reporter.
