Jahangeer Ganaie
Pulwama, Feb 9: A surgical microscope in the Ophthalmology department at Sub District Hospital Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district has been lying defunct, causing inconvenience to patients.
Patients hailing from various areas of Tral informed that they were given operation dates three months ago but are still awaiting their turn due to the malfunctioning of the microscopic equipment, which occurred three months ago.
They said some patients have resorted to seeking treatment at private clinics or travelling to Srinagar for medical assistance.
Shabir Ahmad, a local, expressed concern over the situation, saying the hospital serves approximately 2 lakh people in the Tral sub-division, yet patients have been enduring difficulties for the past three months.
He said the authorities are paying inadequate attention to patient care. “Their (administration’s) failure to address the machine issue in the Ophthalmology department over this prolonged period speaks volumes about their concern towards healthcare,” Ahmad said.
Residents and patients said they have raised this matter with the concerned authorities on multiple occasions but to no avail.
They appealed to the higher-ups to address the matter immediately and repair the malfunctioning machine to alleviate the suffering of poor patients who cannot afford treatment at private facilities.
Officials said that ophthalmic operating microscopes are crucial for providing high contrast and detailed imaging of all areas of the human eye.
BMO Tral, Zahoor Ahmad said that the machine would be repaired tomorrow.
