Patients suffer as doctors stay home amid snowfall

Notwithstanding tall claims by government and hospital administration, hundreds of patients and their attendants faced tough time at major hospitals on Monday.
According to official claims the hospital functioned smoothly in the snowfall. However, all the tertiary-care hospitals witnessed chaos and confusion.
People coming to these hospitals complained lack of services and water logging in the hospital premises.
This newspaper received many complaints from people regarding shortage of paramedical staff and doctors at SKIMS Soura and SMHS hospital which delayed many scheduled surgeries and overburdened the staff.
Farooq Ahmad of Anantnag said his mother was scheduled to undergo surgery today.
“However, it was canceled as doctors informed us that some staff member couldn’t make it to the hospital,” he said.
At SMHS people alleged most of the staff including doctors disappeared from the hospital wards after 2pm.
“Doctors were not present there during evening hours. We had to call the doctor from Emergency section many times whenever any complication occurred or some patients needed consultation,” Yasmeen from Dangerpora alleged.
“Shortage of paramedical staff and doctors had delayed discharge of most of the patients. It also hit the post operative care in the hospital,” said a senior nurse.
In Valley’s lone maternity specialty—Lal Ded hospital, people complained about absence of ambulances to ferry patients back home.
“We pleaded before hospital authorities for ambulance to ferry my sister and her newly born baby. However, they refused and even misbehaved with us,” Aijaz Ahmad of Kupwara told.
He said his sister recently delivered a baby girl after undergoing C-Section. “It was mandatory for the hospital authorities to provide vehicle as per JSY scheme. However, they violated all norms and kept us waiting for more than 2 hours amid snowfall till my brother-in-law reached the hospital with a vehicle.” Ahmad said.
The corridors of LD hospital witnessed heavy rush as the attendants had occupied it in the absence of a separate resting/waiting space.
People also suffered due to inadequate water supply and interruption in heating system in different hospitals.
Muhammad Abdullah of Pampore said the wards in the hospital received inadequate water supply causing problems to the patients.
Similarly, long interruption in heating system kept people shivering.
Medical Superintendents of LD Hospital, Dr Mushtaq Ahmad said: “The hospital cannot provide ambulance to everybody as it will affect the hospital functioning.”
Asked as to why the heating system was interrupted, he said there was little disruption in the main electricity supply. “However, it was restored later and emergency supply was running.”
Medical Superintendent of GB Pant hospital, Dr Muneer Masoodi said everything was running normally except OPD services which remained affected.
“There was no power supply breakdown,” he claimed.
Medical Superirendant SKIMS, Dr Farooq Jan said: “Hospital functioned normally. We have put all our ambulances and other vehicles in action.”