Srinagar: Allegations of negligence and administrative apathy have rocked Kashmir’s premier healthcare institute, SKIMS Soura, after a grieving family accused certain officials of ignoring desperate pleas for a ventilator that could have saved a critically ill patient.
Shabir Shah, a freelance journalist, recounted a harrowing ten-day ordeal in the Oncology Department of SKIMS, where his brother-in-law, suffering from advanced multiple myeloma, was denied a ventilator despite repeated attempts to reach top officials. “The doctors told us he needed ventilation immediately. I approached the Medical Superintendent, gave all the details, but never heard back,” he said and accused the Medical Superintendent of SKIMS of caring a fig for the patient care.
What followed, according to Shah, was a painful run through the hospital’s administrative maze. Even after an intervention by the OSD to the Health Minister—who directed the SKIMS Director’s office to help—there was no response. “I stood outside the Director’s office, pleading with the security guard to simply pass in a slip. I was told the Director was in a meeting. That meeting mattered more than a life,” he said.
Eventually, a doctor in the ventilator ward, speaking anonymously, told Shah that SKIMS had only 12 functional ventilators and that priority was being given to younger patients. “Brother, I am sorry. We can’t help,” he reportedly said.
The patient, a father of two, died without ever receiving the life-saving support. “What kind of system forces families to beg for a ventilator? What use are meetings when patients die waiting?” Shah asked, calling the incident a damning reflection of systemic failure.
While SKIMS administration maintains that ventilator facilities are adequate, insiders admit otherwise. When contacted, Dr. Akbar, the official spokesperson of SKIMS, said he was “busy for the past two days” and referred the matter to the Director. “We received 23 ventilators during COVID under the PM’s initiative, but their quality wasn’t satisfactory,” he added.
In response to the growing criticism, Director SKIMS Dr. Muhammad Ashraf Ganai clarified that the Institute has “enough ventilators,” but most are currently in use for critical referral cases. “We are also in the process of procuring more ventilators to meet the increasing demand,” he said.
Meanwhile, an official on condition of anonymity said that some administrative officials are hell bent bringing disrepute to this premier Institute. “They intentionally create a situation that demeans the reputation of the institute. Instead of helping attendants and patients in time, they take it all too easy,” he said. [KNT]
