Essential emergency medicines unavailable at GMC Baramulla, patients suffer

Srinagar, Aug 29: The unavailability of essential and emergency medicines at Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla, a major tertiary-care referral institution catering to patients from across North Kashmir, has raised concerns among the patients.
According to reports, several essential drugs remain unavailable at the associated hospital, including medicines used in emergency and critical-care situations.
The shortage has caused concern among patients and attendants, particularly those who depend on the government facility for immediate treatment during medical emergencies.
Among the medicines unavailable are Atropine, Hydrocortisone and Adiline (Isoxsuprine), while shortages of certain anaesthetic drugs have also been reported. These medicines are used in different clinical situations and their availability becomes particularly important in a tertiary-care hospital where patients are frequently referred in serious or unstable conditions.
GMC Baramulla receives patients not only from the district but also from several other parts of north Kashmir after being referred from district hospitals and other health institutions. With the hospital functioning as a higher-level referral centre, patients and attendants said uninterrupted availability of essential medicines should be treated as a basic requirement rather than an issue that can be allowed to linger.
“This is a tertiary-care hospital serving the population of entire North Kashmir. Patients are referred here when their condition requires specialised and immediate treatment. If essential emergency medicines are not available, it can create additional difficulties for families already dealing with a medical crisis,” said Bilal Ahmad an attendant at the hospital.
Another attendant said that people visiting government hospitals generally depend on the institution for medicines, particularly during emergencies, and any disruption in the supply chain puts additional financial and logistical pressure on families.
“Patients come here with the expectation that emergency treatment and medicines will be available. They should not be asked to arrange basic drugs from outside when they are already struggling with a serious health emergency,” he said.
A doctor at the hospital said that maintaining adequate stocks of emergency medicines is particularly important in a tertiary-care facility.
“Patients arriving at a referral hospital can be in unstable or critical condition and may require immediate intervention. Therefore, emergency medicines and anaesthetic drugs need to be available without interruption,” the doctor said.
Residents said that GMC Baramulla’s role as the principal tertiary-care referral centre for North Kashmir makes uninterrupted drug availability especially important.
They urged the authorities to strengthen the procurement and inventory-management system and ensure that medicines required for emergency and critical-care services are replenished well before existing stocks run out.
Principal GMC Baramulla Dr Majid Jahangir said that most medicines are available at the hospital. “A few are in the pipeline and will be available within a day or two,” he said. (KNO)