Shift patients if SMHS can’t treat them, HC tells govt

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 23

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the state government to shift the injured patients admitted to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital to other hospitals for providing them treatment, including surgeries, if it is found that all such patients admitted there cannot be treated. The court has also sent out directions to the law-enforcement agencies, including J&K Police, not to forcefully close medical shops.

The directions were issued today by a division Bench, comprising Chief Justice NN Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, after taking cognisance of the media reports highlighting condition of the pellet-hit patients in SHMS Hospital, particularly the reports published in the July 23 edition of The Tribune.

“If the details in the news items published are found true by the state authorities, immediate steps should be taken to treat the patients, including conducting of retina surgeries. Want of space or operation table or surgical items or surgeons cannot be an answer to deny timely treatment to the patients who are to be treated for getting vision in their eyes. It is made clear that if it is found that all the patients cannot be treated in SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, patients be shifted to other hospitals for providing them the required treatment, including surgeries,” the High Court said in its orders while directing the Director, Health Services, Kashmir, and Principal, Government Medical College, Srinagar, to go through reports of The Tribune and a local newspaper.

The law enforcing agencies were also directed not to force closure of any medical shops and wherever necessary, protection be provided for selling the medicines as the state could not allow people to suffer for want of medicine, the court further said in its orders.