Kashmir lone children’s hospital craves for facilities

The Intensive Care Unit and wards of the paediatric hospital are housed inside a magnificently designed building. And from outside this hospital catches attention of every person making them believe that this four storey building is a healing place. Once inside,this hospital lacks everything and craves for basic necessities.

Of the six ventilators among which one has been donated by a local philanthropist,only three are functional. Three warmers / incubators are far less than the hospital’s requirements. On an average day,two or three babies share a single bed in the hospital’s crumbled emergency ward. The intensive care unit too is overcrowded with new borns. “This is our only children hospital. Here we need 12 ventilators and 30 warmers,” said a doctor at ICU. “At times,we are unable to treat critical patients,” he said.

On record this hospital is being jointly managed by Army and the state health department. But the Army has always turned a blind eye towards it. Apart from a little equipment,the Army has done nothing for its paediatric wards. In fact,the dual control of Army and Civil administration has affected the over-all functioning of the hospital. “The dual control has ruined this hospital,” said another senior doctor. “This hospital needs an administrator with a full-fledged control.”

A handful of doctors and paramedics are struggling hard to keep the hospital running and have been regularly trying for better equipment and medicines. But their voices go unnoticed. Besides,shortage of medics and paramedics,the absence of life saving equipments,surgical items and proper ambulances are proving a major hurdle in smooth functioning of the hospital. After 3 pm there is no radiologist available here. The labs too are ill equipped and many a times the hospital couldn’t operate its X–ray plants due to shortage of films.

The oxygen plant and CCSD (Central Sterilization System) have never been operated since the hospital was inaugurated. The lifts are not operational.

Doctors privately acknowledge that children and newborns with acute complications are at high risk inside the hospital wards and are prone to infections. “This hospital is full of infections,” said a senior resident doctor pleading anonymity. “At times we avoid admitting patients here,” he said adding some patients with complications are discouraged to get admitted inside the hospital.

Newly appointed Medical Superintendent Children Hospital,Dr Mir Nazir said the hospital has sufficient incubators and ventilators for 135 patients. “And when we have double or thrice the number of patients it becomes a problem,” he said. “There is never a shortage of the life saving medicines in the hospital. This is the only hospital which provides free drugs to 90 per cent patients,” he said.

Dr Mir said the incinerator of the hospital is functioning but provided that the patient rush is not sufficient. “To get rid of the biodegradable bio medical waste now we are going in for a contract with the common facility centre at Lasipora Pulwama after March,” he said.