No regular staff at Unani Hospital, nod awaited

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 11

The government inaugurated the 50-bedded Unani Hospital at Shalteng in Srinagar in December 2011, but is yet to sanction staff for it.

Not only Unani Hospital, but the 10-bedded Ayush units at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital and Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital in Srinagar also have no staff.

To run the healthcare institutions, the Department of Indian System of Medicine (ISM) has to make internal arrangements by diverting staff from dispensaries.

“Massive staff is needed to run the Shalteng hospital and other Ayush units in the city. And, the ISM Department has not sanctioned staff for them,” said a member of the Ayush Welfare Forum (AWF).

“The staff has to be called from the field institutions to run the hospitals,” the AWF member said.

The forum has called on the state government to take urgent steps to appoint permanent staff at the hospital.

“A large number of people visit Unani Hospital on a daily basis to avail themselves of the benefits of the Unani regimental therapies and panchkarma facilities,” the AWF member said, adding, “Moreover the population of Srinagar city has increased manifold from the days when 26 healthcare institutions were created for the district. The WHO guidelines also demand posting of more doctors in the capital city.”

Responding to criticism in a section of press about the lack of staff at some rural dispensaries, the forum said the situation could only be improved if the government sanctioned staff for the major Ayush healthcare institutions like Unani Hospital and the 10-bedded units at SHMS and JLNM hospitals.

Meanwhile, Health Department officials said the process to appoint the staff at the hospitals had already begun.

“We have submitted a comprehensive proposal for creation of posts to the General Administrative Department and it is under active consideration of the government,” a senior government official said.