This is an archive article published on February 25, 2009
SKIMS muzzles criticism with ad blitz
For the past more than a week now,the administration of the valley's lone tertiary care hospital is issuing advertisements worth lakhs of rupees to portray a positive image of the institute and calls for restraint.
The Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) has launched an ad blitz. Instead of taking corrective measures and to procure basic surgical equipments,the hospital is spending lakhs of rupees on advertisements these days.
For the past more than a week now,the administration of the valley’s lone tertiary care hospital is issuing advertisements worth lakhs of rupees to portray a positive image of the institute and calls for restraint.
“While the functioning of SKIMS may not be optimal,there are brilliant spots that we must capitalize on. The murkier things can be reasoned out through better facilitation and in depth understanding of the circumstances that the doctors and paramedical; staff of the SKIMS love and work in,” read the advertisements published in local dailies. “Exercising restraint will help us function better”.
The advertisements admit to the failure of the hospital in certain areas. “There is definite scope for improvement and the lacunae in various areas might have attracted the attention of well meaning journalists today but have since been appreciated by the administration. There are indolent wrong which need to be righted and the current administration has made multiple strides in that direction,” the advertisement says. “(But) give the devil its due”.
The ad blitz questions the criticism of the hospital. “Constructive criticism is welcomed but the personnel must not be hounded away by resorting to sting operations and unjust policing,” it reads. Though the ad doesn’t elaborate on the point,it is an apparent reference to the naming of the SKIMS professors,who are running private clinics across the valley.
Though the hospital is short of basic equipments like syringes,surgical gloves and even the basic emergency drugs and cites shortage of funds as the reason,lakhs of rupees are being spent on the advertisement. “The hospital would have done better by using this money to buy basic medical equipment,” says a senior doctor. “What they are spending on advertisements could have been in a more meaningful way used to buy surgical gloves,pain killers and other requirements”.
As already reported by The Indian Express,the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences is short of basic essential medicines like Voveran (pain killer),Buscopan (anti spasmodic),Dexmethasone (steroid),Ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) and Albendazole (de-worm agent). The hospital is also short of blood pressure monitoring machines,rubber gloves,urine bags and weighing machine. The hospital also lacks B-complex tablets,glucometer (for glucose monitoring),disposable gloves,vitamin K injections (for liver support),Catheter a tube that is inserted into a body cavity to drain off fluids.
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The Medical Superintendent of the hospital,Iftikhar Ahmad Bukhari is not ready to talk. “I don’t want to talk to you,” he says.
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter.
Expertise and Experience
Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development.
Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor.
Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans:
Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance.
Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population.
Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley.
Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More
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