Patients suffer as peripheral hospitals in Kashmir lack surgical ICUs

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 20

Due to lack of surgical intensive care units (ICUs) on the periphery healthcare system of Jammu and Kashmir many patients are dying on way to city hospitals, says the Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK).

“Surgical intensive care units nowadays are the backbone of modern health care but none of the hospital on the periphery of the city has this facility. Many patients, mainly accident victims, die on the way to hospital as the precious time is unnecessarily lost due to referral transportation,” Dr Mir Mushtaq, president, DAK, said.

Mir said the SMHS and SKIMS hospitals in Srinagar have surgical intensive care units but it is a “matter of grave concern that we don’t have any of these facilities in the peripheral hospitals”.

He said many doctors were trained as critical care specialists but their potential was not being exploited, as their job remained confined to surgery theatres only in administering anaesthesia thus wasting their talent and expertise.

The DAK advocated that the government should develop three peripheral hospitals — District Hospital, Anantnag, District Hospital, Baramulla, and JLNM Hospital in Srinagar — with the surgical intensive care facility in a phased manner.

“It will create a huge difference in the referral of patients thus decreasing the mortality and morbidity to a large extent,” he said.

The DAK said by establishing surgical intensive care units on peripheries of cities, the talent of specialists and superspecialists in surgeries could also be utilised which were now being posted in quite a good number on the peripheries.

The DAK said the government should take the matter on priority and initiate the process which would help in giving a much better quality healthcare in peripheral hospitals.