Ganderbal, Sep 26, : Despite repeated claims of strengthening healthcare infrastructure in remote and far-flung areas, government hospitals in Kangan block of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district continue to face an acute shortage of doctors and paramedical staff, leaving several costly medical facilities underutilized and forcing patients to seek treatment at private facilities or major hospitals in Srinagar.Reliable sources told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that around 170 medical and paramedical posts are sanctioned across healthcare institutions in Kangan block, but nearly 100 posts are lying vacant, severely affecting the delivery of healthcare services to a large population spread across the area.The shortage is particularly acute in diagnostic and emergency services. Four doctors are sanctioned for conducting ultrasonography examinations in the block, but three posts are vacant, leaving only one doctor to conduct USG examinations at four different locations.Sources said only two laboratory technicians are available against seven sanctioned posts, while just five medical assistants are working against 17 sanctioned positions. Of the seven sanctioned staff nurse posts, only two are presently filled, while four doctors’ posts are also vacant.Similarly, seven posts have been sanctioned for X-ray services, but five remain vacant, leaving the available equipment without adequate manpower for its full utilization.The situation is particularly concerning as several healthcare institutions have already been equipped with X-ray and USG facilities. Sources said USG machines are available at Primary Health Centres Kulan Gund, Ganiwan and Wussan, but only one doctor is available in the area to conduct the examinations.As a result, patients requiring USG examinations during emergencies are often left with little option but to approach private diagnostic facilities or travel to Srinagar, adding to the burden on families already dealing with medical emergencies.The staffing gap is also being felt at the Maternal and Child Hospital in Kangan, which was constructed at a cost of around Rs 27 crore with the objective of providing maternity-related healthcare closer to the population.Sources said that despite the availability of the facility, adequate manpower has not been deployed, creating difficulties for women requiring maternity care and undermining the purpose for which the hospital was established.The problem extends beyond Kangan town, with hundreds of areas depending on the healthcare institutions of the sub-district. People said the shortage of doctors, nurses, technicians and other paramedical personnel was compelling patients to travel long distances for services that are otherwise available locally on paper.The issue assumes greater significance in view of the increasing tourist activity in Sonamarg, which now remains accessible for most of the year and witnesses a substantial tourist influx during the winter and spring months.Sources added that although expensive medical equipment has been installed at the Sonamarg hospital, the facility lacks adequate manpower to operate and utilize the equipment effectively.People have also sought deployment of a female doctor at the Sonamarg hospital, saying women tourists frequently require consultation with a female doctor. In the absence of such a facility, some women are reportedly leaving without receiving the required medical consultation.An X-ray technician is also reportedly unavailable at the Sonamarg hospital, further limiting the use of diagnostic services.The shortage comes at a time when the government has been emphasizing the strengthening of trauma care and emergency medical services in remote and difficult areas to reduce the need for patients to travel to major hospitals. The government has also stated that efforts are underway to make trauma centres functional and improve emergency healthcare closer to people’s homes.A government abstract on the establishment of trauma centres in Kashmir Division also highlights the broader manpower gap, showing 280 sanctioned posts across seven listed centres, of which 154 are in position and 127 are vacant, while 236 additional posts are required to meet Level-II trauma-centre guidelines.People have urged Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo to intervene and ensure that vacant posts in government healthcare institutions of Kangan and Sonamarg are filled at the earliest, saying infrastructure and expensive equipment can serve their intended purpose only when adequate trained manpower is made available. [KNT]
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