Lack of adequate beds, are badly hitting the health care at G. B Panth hospital here in summer capital Srinagar.As per attendants of patients, due to lack of adequate beds, everyday doctors and paramedical staff have to face the anger of attendants.Shortage of beds in the hospital has been a bane and a major issue that has affected the quality of healthcare services. Almost every day, ailing children at one time or the other are forced to share beds.As per sources, on many occasions two to three patients are forced to share a single bed in the hospital wards, which witnesses’ huge rush of patients as the hospital caters to children across the valley.Being the lone children hospital in the valley, sources said that patients and attendants face suffocation due to lack of space, and less bed strength.Hundreds of patients on daily basis rush to G. B Panth here. The hospital remains overburdened and fails to cater huge patient inflow.Attendants at the hospital told Kashmir News Trust that acute shortage of space is causing massive inconvenience to patients. “My three year old daughter who was suffering from chest infection recently was adjusted with multiple patients due to lack of beds in the hospital,” said an attendant Mohammad Yaseen, from Kuchmullah Pulwama.He alleged that at times doctors discharge patients in haste just to avoid overcrowding of wards.People demanded that number of beds should be increased in this main health facility for children 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. If adequate beds are not brought to the hospital patients are bound to suffer,” said Shabir Bhat, a resident of Kupwara.The lack of space is forcing the medicos to put multiple patients on a single bed of the medical wards.
The administration however said that government is constructing another children hospital in Srinagar to mitigate the problems of patients.“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 hospital, he finds no bed available, the attendant argues with the doctors and paramedical staff.Many attendants narrated their ordeal while struggling to find beds for their ailing children in the hospital; Husaam Mohammad (39), an attendant with his son came to 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 they are adjusted on a single bed.”Another attended Shaheen Gul of Khansahib Budgam who was accompanying his ailing son said: “My four year old son was shifted in the hospital two months back after he suffered some complications and for three consecutive days he was sharing the bed with other patient. During winter especially every bed is occupied by at least two or three patients.”Though media has repeatedly reported the space crunch at G. B Pant here, the space constraints continued both in IPD and OPD and the shortage of beds continues to irritate the patients.A senior health official said admitted the shortage of beds and space issue in the hospital. “The new hospital project will mitigate our problems,” he added. (KNT)