Lack of infrastructure including beds, are badly hitting the health care at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag.As per locals, due to lack of adequate beds, everyday doctors and paramedical staff have to face the anger of patients and attendants.Shortage of beds in the institute has been a bane and a major issue that has affected the quality of healthcare services. Almost every day, patients at one time or the other are forced to either share beds or sleep on the floor till another patient is discharged.As per sources, on many occasions two to three patients are forced to share a single bed at GMC, which witnesses huge rush of patients as it caters to several far off areas, besides functioning as the main hospital of south Kashmir.Locals in Anantnag said that patients and attendants face suffocation due to lack of space, and less bed strength.Attendants at the institute told Kashmir News Trust that acute shortage of space is causing massive inconvenience to patients. “My son who was operated upon recently was quickly shifted to home due to lack of beds in the institute,” said Abdul Jabbar, from Rawalpora Shopian.Locals alleged that at times doctors discharge patients in haste just to avoid overcrowding of wards.Locals demanded that number of beds should be increased in this main health institute to cater to the increasing rush of patients. “The authorities should at least add 100 more beds to the hospital to avoid inconveniences to the patients. Unless beds are added to the hospital patients are bound to suffer,” said Ichpal Singh, a resident of Pulwama.
The lack of space is forcing the medicos to keep emergency patients on trolleys in the medical wards.
The administration however blamed the executing agency, Jammu & Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) for its failure to construct the timely five-storey block (A) building of the hospital."Often we have to face the anger of the attendants over the shortage of beds and other others medical facilities but they do not understand that doctors are not responsible to ensure that facilities available to patients were adequate, “said a doctor, wishing anonymity.Adding when patient is entering in the institute, he finds no bed available, he argues with the doctors and paramedical staff.Many patients narrated their ordeal while struggling to find beds in the institute, Mohammed Ashraf (43), an attendant with his brother admitted in the hospital told: “I have vividly seen the worst experience of my life. I have hardly seen any hospital where patients are treated like animals. On single bed two or three patients are adjusted. One can hardly imagine how are they adjusted on a single bed.”Another attended Gulzar Ahmad of Wailoo Kokernag who was accompanying his cousin said: “My cousin sister was shifted in the institute two months back after she suffered some complications and for three consecutive days she was sharing the bed with another female patient. Every bed is occupied by at least two or three patients."Two years ago, the hospital was converted into a medical college bringing excitement in the locals that the healthcare will improve. But despite being converted into a medical college, the space crunch both in IPD and OPD and the shortage of beds continues to irritate the patients.Last month local photojournalists also captured photos of a few patients lying on trolleys in the medical ward of the healthcare facility.A senior health official admitted the shortage of beds and space in the institute. "The new building will mitigate our problems but unfortunately the construction work was stopped two years ago and the matter still stands in the court," he added. (KNT)