Lack of space, lack of manpower hits patient care at Trauma Hospital Kangan

Kangan, Aug 13: Lack of space and lack of manpower have badly hit patient care at Trauma Hospital Kangan in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
The hospital according to locals was constructed with an aim to provide best medicare to the people, however, it has failed to serve the real purpose.
Locals said that a number of posts are vacant in the hospital. They said there is no Data Entry Operator, no staff for ENT section despite the fact hospital receives huge number of patients from different villages daily.
Among the vacant positions, sources said, are those of junior nurses, junior laboratory technicians, junior pharmacists, senior x-ray technicians, junior theatre technicians, and nursing orderlies.
Over 250 to 300 patients visit the out-patient department (OPD) of the hospital daily. Besides, there are referrals from the primary and community health centres from the surrounding villages. “Due to the limited nursing staff the patients suffer immensely,” they said adding that the patients here have to wait for a long time to see a doctor in the OPD.
They said in the post-operative ward only a couple of nurses remain available for the patients, while in the emergency ward only a single pharmacist is available.
A doctor at the hospital said on condition of anonymity said they had raised the issue with the Directorate of Health Services a number of times but there was no response.
Medical Superintendent Trauma Hospital Kangan Dr Salma Bhat confirmed that there is shortage of manpower and lack of space in the hospital. ‘The hospital lacks space as a result we are unable to set up different medical sections like ENT,” she said. (KNT)