Medical emergency in Kashmir hospitals

Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 10

The authorities in Kashmir hospitals have declared medical emergency as injured youths are pouring in from different parts of the Valley with grievous bullet or pellet injuries.

At associated hospitals of the Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar, routine admissions and surgeries have been cancelled to accommodate the youths injured in action by police and paramilitary forces across Kashmir.

“In normal days, we used to get posting once a week for surgical emergency. These days, we have to be present here on alternate days,” said a senior surgeon at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital.

“The situation is worse than in 2010 when a few injured persons were brought on a daily basis. We are receiving youths in large numbers with grievous injuries now,” he said.

The Health Department established a control room in the Barzulla locality of Srinagar to provide emergency health care facilities to people. It publicised the emergency phone numbers of all hospitals in the city.

Dr Kaisar Ahmad, GMC Principal, along with other top doctors of hospitals, were camping in the corridor of the surgery department of the SMHS hospital to monitor the “crisis situation” and provide effective health care facilities to injured patients.

He said associated hospitals had dedicated staff working beyond their schedule to ensure hassle-free health care facilities to patients. “In this hour of emergency, our doctors and paramedics are here for more than 36 hours to treat patients,” he said.

He said ambulances were being sent to those staff members who could reach the hospitals. “Any delay in bringing victims to hospitals can cost their lives,” he said while appealing to civilians as well security forces to give free passage to ambulances.