Srinagar: The pregnant women in Kashmir prefer private hospitals to deliver babies. In Srinagar alone, more than 50 deliveries take place every month at every private hospital, the data reveals.
This INS correspondent talked to at least a dozen women who have experienced deliveries in both or only at government maternity hospitals, to know the reason(s) – of preferring private hospitals over the government ones.
All of them narrated almost similar stories. And it is not just the lack of facility available at government hospitals. It is more than that.
Shahnaz Khan, a resident of Batamaloo area of Srinagar, preferred to deliver her second child at Sheikh-ul-Alam hospital instead of government Lal Ded hospital as she did not want to get “beaten up” or “abused” by the paramedical staff while delivering a child.
“A woman who is delivering a child is subjected to torture and abuse by the paramedical staff,” Shahnaz told INS. “I was slapped on head when I was going through labour pain. The nurse even used awful language saying ‘Tami Saat Soonchziha, Waen Kath Chakh Laagaan Doad (Why did you get pregnant if you can’t bear the pain).”
The paramedical staff, Shahnaz said, doesn’t have any concern with the patient care at the time when they are battling between life and death. “What kind of behaviour do you expect from them at that critical stage? When a patient is battling for life, they push her towards death.”
Another woman, Neelofar, a resident of Rambagh, Srinagar, shared a “shameful” incident at a government hospital. She said a male technician physically “harassed” her during Sonography when she was seven months pregnant.
“There was no female staff member inside the room. The attendant asked my husband to wait outside till Sonography was over. The moment my husband left the room, the technician starting touching me in an inappropriate manner,” Neelofar told INS. “I left the room immediately without having Sonography done.”
Since then, Neelofar said, she didn’t visit the government hospital and gave birth to her first child at a private hospital. “The incident was there in my mind. I told my husband to take me to a private hospital, not to any government one.”
“In the labour room of government maternity hospitals, only females should be allowed to enter but usually the male pantry staff and security guards come inside without any restrictions and gaze at women that too in an obscene manner,” Neelofar added.
Seerat Shafi, who also preferred private hospital, told INS that the medical staff treats patients carefully. “Let’s leave the facility part aside; there is a lot of difference between government and private hospitals as far as the patient care is concerned. The private hospital staff does not beat, abuse or use vulgar language during the delivery process. Rather they boost the spirit of women by understanding their pain and concern.”
“Such type of patient care is not found in government hospitals. I belong to a lower middle class family, everyone cannot afford but one still prefers private hospitals for own and baby’s safety,” Seerat said.
“Besides, the government hospitals lack basic facilities like hygienic washrooms, sufficient beds and proper caretaking of patients.”
When raised the issues, senior Gynecologist Dr Masrat told INS that proper care is being provided to patients in government maternity hospitals. She said people opt for private maternity hospitals for their own comfort but agreed that the government hospitals lack proper infrastructure.
“There may be good facilities in private hospitals but everyone cannot afford it. As doctors, we try our best to give proper support to patients. It will take time (for government hospitals) to adopt the same culture as that of private hospitals, but we assure to have best medical facility for patients,” she said.
Regarding the alleged abuse by the paramedical staff, Dr Masrat said, “In past, we received some complaints but action was taken soon. We request the patients to kindly inform the hospital administration if they face any kind of inconvenience.”
