Need to curb unnecessary referrals

The government might have taken steps to ensure better health care to the people across Jammu & Kashmir, but what has hampering the better care to the people at the tertiary care hospitals is the huge rush of patients, being witnessed usually here, putting a burden on these hospitals. The huge rush of patients at tertiary care hospitals is the outcome of unnecessary referrals from the different hospitals of Kashmir. The unnecessary referrals is being witnessed at a time when the government has already issued strict directions to all the district hospitals to ensure no unnecessary referrals are made and give priority to treat the patients at the hospitals falling under their jurisdiction. Unnecessary referrals is tantamount to negligence as despite the government keeping every basic facility including the specialised doctors available at all the hospitals, the need of referrals has to go down, thus paving a way for better health care at the tertiary care hospitals here. Yet again, the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir (DHSK) has issued orders to the Chief Medical Officers in this regard, asking them to put an end to the unnecessary referrals. The order after the Chief Secretary’s direction has impressed upon all the Chief Medical Officers, Medical Superintendents of Kashmir division to take night rounds of all the hospitals falling under their jurisdiction. To achieve the target of better health care to the patients at the tertiary care hospitals, it is imperative to make necessary arrangements and ensure that the unnecessary referrals are put to an immediate end for the wellbeing of the people, who visit these tertiary care hospitals.