Srinagar, Mar 12: The GB Pant hospital has closed its 20-bedded indoor facilities, rendering its entire gynaecology department almost defunct.
The maternity wing of the hospital was only partially functional since 2014 floods. Currently, the department offers only OPD facilities to the patients.
An official in the hospital said the partial closure of Maternity Wing has given a huge setback to maternity services in the hospital.
He also said that the department used to handle normal deliveries as well as Caesarean till 2013.
Another official, who wished not to be named said the gynecological wing was fully functional before floods and a number of patients were visiting this department.
The Wing was supported by the National Health Mission and the procedures were carried out under supervision of the faculty from Government Medical College, Srinagar.
But after floods, the NHM withdrew its staff from there.
“After that some normal deliveries were carried out here from a surgeon from LD Hospital once a week, but this was stopped later as patients didn’t prefer to visit the facility that wasn’t available throughout the week,” an official said.
Currently, the hospital offers Out Patient Department (OPD) facilities to the patients in a small room which hardly accommodates the two gynecologists.
The small room doesn’t look like an OPD which is meant to provide medical consultations and other allied services. The partial closure has affected the OPD services as there is no bed and other required facilities to check up the visiting pregnant ladies.
Dr Sandeep Kour, a gynecologist in the OPD said that they receive around 35 patients every month. “We are two doctors in this OPD. We treat the expecting mothers who visit us every month. We don’t know about why the indoor facilities has been closed. Reasons are better known to the administration,” she said.
In 2005, the government shifted Children’s Hospital to GB Pant Hospital and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the state government and Cantonment Board.
In the signed MoU, it was directed that the gynecological wing should be kept functional in the hospital.
But currently the department is almost defunct with only two lady doctors running the whole affairs.
When the doctors were asked about the staff crunch and non-availability of the required staff and facilities, they said, “We don’t know anything about the issues. We are doctors here and the reasons are better known to the administration only.”
The Medical Superintendent of the hospital was on leave and could not be contacted, while the in-charge in his place, Dr Jahangir Bakshi, did not answer the repeated calls.
