After flood-hit equipment, staff shortage paralyses Valley hospitals

The floods and the ‘untimely’ elections have devastated much more than hospital equipment in the Valley. The hospitals are facing staff shortage due to which many departments are almost non-functional and making it tough for the patients.
Two-month old Maha (name changed) admitted at GB Pant Pediatric Hospital suffered from convulsions. Doctors needed to get her EEG (Electroencephalography) done. The flood damaged EEG equipment is yet to be replaced. Maha was sent to SMHS Hospital for the test. No ambulance was provided for the referral. At SMHS, the already troubled parents were asked to take Maha to Psychiatric Diseases Hospital as EEG was not functional post floods at SMHS too.
At Psychiatric Diseases Hospital, Maha’s parents were once more told that the EEG cannot be done as the equipment is not functional. When Maha’s parents complained to Medical Superintendent, he told the parents that it is not the machine that is not functioning but there is no technician to run the machine at the hospital.
Maha’s parents are left with no other option but to get the test done at some private lab. However, unlike Maha, not all parents can afford costly tests in private labs. And this state-of-affairs defeats the promise and purpose of quality public healthcare.
The shortage of equipment, compounded by the shortage of skilled staff in these hospitals is proving a blessing for the expensive private labs and a curse for common man with limited resources.
Dr. Rafeeq Ahmed Pampori, Principal Government Medical College Srinagar said, “First there were floods, then the elections were announced. The vacancies have been referred to Service Selection Board (SSB), a reminder has also been sent and the vacancies will soon be filled.” He added, “We are aware of the problems the patients are facing due to the shortage of technicians. But now that the elections are over, we will send someone on academic arrangement to Psychiatric Diseases Hospital.”
Sources at the hospital said that many departments in SMHS and allied hospitals are acutely short of staff, especially technicians and lab assistants. Medicos claimed that there is only one radiologist on the night duty who performs more than 50 USGs in a single night. They expressed concern that over-burdened manpower will compromise the quality of the diagnostics at the hospital.
Reportedly, there also is a grim scenario in terms of the medicos and technicians in Valley’s tertiary as well as peripheral hospitals. The staff shortage in Critical Care departments of the hospitals is putting lives in danger, concerned stakeholders say. The vacancies on the plan as well as non-plan side have just been left unfilled and forgotten. The complacency of the government and administration in this regard continues to make people suffer due to delays and ‘preventable referrals’.