Jammu and Kashmir unit of CPI(M) today expressed concern over the "acute shortage of doctors and life saving drugs" in hospitals and urged the government to ensure better medical facilities to the people.
"The government should respond to the shortage of doctors and life saving drugs in hospitals across the state so that the patients suffering for want of consultations and important drugs are benefited," state secretary of CPI(M) M Y Tarigami said in a statement here.
Referring to media reports, Tarigami said the Valley hospitals were currently running short of nearly 600 doctors with around 250 doctors being absent from their services illegally for the past several years.
"Reports suggest that there are 72 Assistant Surgeons, 55 specialists and 62 paramedical posts vacant in hospitals of south Kashmir's Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam and Anantnag districts. It seems that the ministry concerned is hardly bothered about these facts," he added.
Tarigami, who undertook a week-long tour to different areas in south Kashmir, said that by just a cursory glimpse of hospitals including sub district and even district hospitals in South Kashmir, one can feel that the health care institutions are being manned by a few doctors and a few para medical officials.
"These hospitals are without basic facilities including life saving drugs, causing tremendous inconvenience to the patients," he said.
In many areas, the CPI (M) leader said the pre-operation, post-operation, casualty, ward and gynaecological cases are being looked after by a single doctor from evening to morning everyday.
"Not only these health centres lack required number of doctors, infrastructure, proper lavatories and water supply facility but due to scarcity, the patients are left with no option but to purchase surgical equipments and life saving drugs from the open market," he said.
Tarigami said going by the condition of district and sub-district hospitals, it seems that these health care institutions have been ignored to the hilt.
