GMCH mess

Architectural problems mar new emergency block of GMCH

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Sept 8: To cater the health care need of the ever increasing rush of patients in the old emergency of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), the government had established the additional block of emergency, but that has also failed to serve the purpose due to ill conceived architecture and lack of facilities.

The heart of the matter is that even the doctors and paramedics were not satisfied with the facilities made available in the new emergency block. About 400 to 450 patients suffering from various ailments visits daily for their treatment.

It is pertinent to mention here that the old emergency of the hospital has shortage of many essential equipments besides the space was not adequate to accommodate heavy rush of patients.

A doctor deployed on duty, on the condition of anonymity, said they had been facing shortage of infrastructure and other required facilities owing to which they were not been able to give satisfactory treatment to the patients.

He added, “There are only two toilets for patients i.e. one each in ground floor and first floor in the new building. But there is no separate toilet facility available for the doctors. The new block is total wastage. It seems that architectural advice had not been taken by the department before designing the structure.”

He further said that cabins made to examine the patients are so small that patients cannot be examined inside. He disclosed that there were only two ventilators in the emergency which was less and plenty of other facilities are also required to facilitate quality health care.

A paramedic also expressed that their strength was not sufficient which puts additional burden on the existing paramedics. She questioned, “The government is not been able to provide adequate staff and equipment in GMCH then why Super Speciality Hospital is being build. Instead of constructing buildings the focus must be on strengthening the existing health care system.”

One of attendants with a patient namely Gulu Devi from Akhnoor alleged that doctors were not attending her. She suffers from paralysis and admitted in emergency but very rarely doctor come to examine her because of which we are not been able to understand her state of health, she added. She expressed total dissatisfaction with the healthcare facility in the emergency particularly with the sanitation.

However, the Casualty Medical Officer (CMO) refused to comment over the state of affairs. She maintained that she was not supposed to answer the media queries.

When contacted, Medical Superintendent, GMCH Manoj Chalotra, he informed that Jammu Kashmir Project Construction Company (JKPCC) holds the responsibility for maintenance of new Emergency Block.

He admitted that design of the block is ill conceived and blamed JKPCC that constructed the building. However, soon JKPCC is going to handover the responsibility of new Emergency Block to hospital administration thereafter efforts would be made to improve the thing, he added.

He further said that as far as shortage of staff is concerned the administration yesterday appointed ten more staff nurses from Srinagar on contractual basis.

Pertinently, the people are impatiently waiting for the functioning of Super Specialty Hospital in Jammu, but there is no guarantee that this hospital will retained the needed infrastructure and other required facilities for the health care of the people.