Residents say they’re forced to visit distant hospitals
Bandipora, Oct 16: The New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) in Bagtore area of Gurez in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district is grappling with a severe shortage of medical staff, forcing local residents to transfer patients to distant hospitals.
According to the locals, the understaffing issue has rendered the hospital ineffective for the people.
They said the essential diagnostic equipment such as an X-ray machine and a dental section remains unused due to the lack of doctors and technicians.
“The absence of doctors and technicians is compelling us to undertake time-consuming journeys to either Bagtore Hospital or the main Bandipora Hospital even for basic services like X-rays,” said a concerned local resident, Shabir Ahmed. He said both hospitals are located a considerable distance from Bagtore.
This situation has placed an added burden on pregnant women, who now have to bear the additional financial strain of hiring vehicles for consultations with doctors in more distant healthcare facilities, he added.
Shabir said the NTPHC’s limited access to essential healthcare services has put immense pressure on the already overburdened medical professionals, making it challenging to provide adequate care to patients.
Another local expressed his frustration, saying, “We have a well-equipped health centre in Bagtore, but it is useless without the necessary staff to operate it efficiently. Patients, especially pregnant women, suffer due to the lack of medical services. We urge the authorities to address this issue promptly.”
An official acknowledged the problem, saying, “We have communicated the severe staff shortage to the relevant authorities. We are optimistic that they will take immediate action to provide the NTPHC with the necessary staff, enhancing medical services for the local residents.”—(KNO)
