Attendants and locals Friday staged a massive protest against lack of basic facilities and medical staff at District Hospital in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district. The protest began after some patients were referred to Srinagar due to the non-availability of doctors at the hospital.The protesters alleged that there was no facility and doctors don’t remain present in the hospital.The protesters threatened to intensify their protest if their demand to post doctors in the hospital was not met within 24 hours.“Earlier we used to get free medicine from the hospital but the practice has been discontinued by the hospital for the reasons better known to them. Doctors usually arrive late in the hospital, caring a fig for the patients,” a protesters Rafiq Ahmed told CNS.
Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Shah Faisal along with a police team reached the spot and pacified the protesters by assuring them of augmentation of facilities at the hospital.Dr Mushtaq Ahmed, Block Medical Officer told CNS that due to non-availability of funds, elderly patients don’t get feed medicine in the hospital and that was the main reason for the protest. He said that hospital has been facing severe financial crunch thus hitting patent care system. (CNS)