GMC, SMGS becoming breeding grounds for disease in absence of sanitation policy

Tahir Mushtaq

  

JAMMU, Nov 22: Despite one of the biggest hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir, Government Medical College (GMC) has failed to formulate committee to look after the sanitation of hospital and associated institutions.

Two main hospitals of the city GMCH and Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) hospital daily cater to thousands of patients from across the state, but when it comes to the sanitation, there is lot to be desired. Even the issue of poor sanitation was raised in Legislative Assembly also last year by the members cutting across the party lines.

Sources said that the administration is doing only paper work to solve the problem but nothing on the ground has been done.

The hospitals in the city also suffer due to poor sanitation since the drainage system has not been upgraded for the last two decades.

“The drainage system is as old in most of the hospitals; nothing has been upgraded since past few years, despite increase in the influx of the patients. So many structures have come up in the hospital premises besides the huge rush of patients,” sources said.

Source disclosed that higher authorities has constitute a committee under the chairmanship of principal GMCH but now tendering for the sanction of the work has yet to take place.

The health institutes in Jammu suffers due to proper sanitation facilities besides this the drainage system has not been upgraded for the last two decades.

Moreover a team has also constituted to check the sanitation condition of the hospital, the report submitted by the team also shows the helplessness of the hospital administration as the reports says “The unhygienic conditions of the sanitation in the emergency has become the talk of the town which is spoiling the reputation of the hospital”.

“OPD and Emergency wings of both the hospitals are facing huge pressure but we are making every effort to streamline the functioning of the hospitals. New equipments are being procured for the same”, said a doctor.

Medical Superintendent SMGS Dr A K Sharma said that the hospital has not hire any private agency for the sanitation work as we have our own community health officer and sanitary inspector to look after all matter regarding this.

Whereas Principal GMCH, Dr Aniece Choudhary, could not be contacted even after repeating attempts.