Govt silent over condition of SMGS hospital Staff shortage, lack of basic equipments puts life of infants in danger

Govt silent over condition of SMGS hospital
Staff shortage, lack of basic equipments puts life of infants in danger
Nitesh Sangral
JAMMU, June 17: The massive public outcry over the death of more than 100 infants in GB Pant Hospital, Srinagar compelled the State machinery and even the Union Health Minister to rush there to make up the deficiencies. The Child Hospital of Jammu, known as SMGS Hospital, is also confronted with similar deficiencies but, it’s a million dollar question as to who will come for its rescue. According to sources, the hospital is facing lack of infrastructure besides, as shortage of staff in all categories. There was a need of 12 ventilators in all but only one ventilator is available, absence of Pediatric Surgeon, insufficient oxygen suctions, an extremely overburdened Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), with non-AC emergency in the children hospital. The acute scarcity of the staff in all categories in the 750 bedded hospitals can be gauged with the fact that out of total 1098 sanctioned posts around 700 posts are lying vacant. It is pertinent to mentioned here that the Health and Medical Education Departments are being run by two ministries. Due to lack of coordination between them, the scenario has become even useless. The doctors in the field are pressurized for forced deliveries just to show inflated figures. As per the data, out of the total 65 gazetted posts, 41 posts are lying vacant. In non-gazetted category, around 350 posts are lying vacant out of the total 591 posts and 442 posts of sectioned but only 212 posts are filled in class 1V category. “With such shortage of staff it is very difficult to provide quality health services to the patients keeping in view the amount of load the hospital and there are two to three retirements every month. But there are no fresh recruitments at till.” The 750-bedded hospital is relying on one ventilator only. Report further said there is a requirement of at least 12 ventilators (six each in NICU and Emergency). But hospital has only one ventilator in the Emergency. There is no ventilator in NICU. Under such odd circumstances we have to shift the children in the Government Medical College Hospital (GMC). “In the absence of ventilators, the children admitted in the NICU are referred outside like Chandigarh, Ludhiana. So in such a scenario luck has to be on patients. Moreover, the NICU is bearing the load far beyond its capacity. It has the official capacity of 8 children. But on an average there are 45-50 children admitted in the NICU on any given day. “The children are again shifted back to SMGS Hospital after operations. As more often than not the children, who are operated upon, are critical.” The Emergency of the hospital is being run without an Air Conditioner and sufficient Oxygen Suctions. When the contacted commissioner and secretary of Health department MK Dwivide also admitted that in the hospital also have some deficiencies. But the department is trying to sought out these problems. Due to this the health department has been sent a proposal of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), now the government of India approved that proposal.