Srinagar, June 25: The healthcare facilities especially maternity services have been affected due to shortage of doctors in hospitals in Tangdar, Kupwara despite the region being close to Line of Control.
Residents of Tangdar and its adjoining areas have been voicing their concern over the years but doctors have not been posted there leaving nearly one lakh residents to suffer.
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 is no gynecologist, no child specialist, no physician, no surgeon, no anaesthesia specialist due to which patients are compelled to travel 153 kilometres to reach Srinagar hospitals.
“Pregnant women are the worst suffers. When expecting mothers visit the SDH they are referred to Handwara and Srinagar hospitals which is tiresome,” Sadam said.
During winter months, the Sadna top remains closed due to snowfall disconnecting Tangdar and people suffer a lot. “They suffer in the absence of facilities. The healthcare is equal to zero here,” he said.
The resident questioned over lack of implementation of transfer policy of the health department saying that doctors are not transferred as per the norms of the department.
He also said there are some three Primary Health Centres at Gabra, Chitter Kout and Teetwal and each PHC have only doctor.
“There is only 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.
The problems worsen during winter as transportation facilities get affected and airlifting patients at critical stage becomes difficult for authorities. “Patients can only be airlifted when weather remains favourable otherwise they have no way to get airlifted,” he said.
Raja Waqar, General Secretary Civil Society Karnah, Tangdar said there are many deficiencies in the healthcare in the region and patients have been suffering.
“If all the patients are referred to Srinagar hospitals then what is the purpose of the SDH. Recently three doctors have been transferred and no one has been replaced,” he said.
A doctor said that the local doctors in Tangdar are transferred to the choicest places due to the lackadaisical approach of the health department and district administration.
“Even doctors working in NHM are also transferred. I am also ready to leave this post. Many doctors from Tangdar are posted in Kupwara and they are not ready to serve there in extreme rural areas,” the doctor said
Chief Medical Officer, Kupwara, Dr Mohammad Ramazan said there are 117 posts of MBBS doctors vacant in the entire Kupwara district. “There are also some 32 posts of consultants that are vacant in the district,” he said.
Regarding shortage of doctors at SDH Tandgar and PHCs, he said they have taken up the matter with the health department and they expect that the issue would be resolved soon.
“Recently, I have also taken up the matter with the previous Mission Director J&K, NHM, Ayushi Sudan, who has been posted as Deputy Commissioner Kupwara,” he said.
The CMO also said that the health department had ordered posting of doctors in Tangdar two times but no was ready to go there.
“We expect that very soon the issue will be resolved. Doctors will have to be posted there; it would not work like this,” he added.
