By BASHARAT RASHID
Tral : Sub district hospital Tral is considered as one of the oldest hospitals in Kashmir valley but it hasn’t been upgraded yet even after the decades due to which patients face inconveniences here.
Catering to 105 villages, the hospital lacks doctors, staff and high tech machineries due to which patients continue to suffer here with no intervention from higher authorities to upgrade it.
As compared to SDH Pampore, SDH Bijbehara and SDH Sopore, the hospital as per records lacks adequate staff, doctors, and high tech machineries as “all other SDHs were upgraded unlike SDH Tral, which is main reason for lacking these facilities there”
The hospital despite being under the tag of “Sub district hospital” lacks Ophthalmologist, Orthopaedic, ENT, and permanent Radiologist.
The Radiologist as per hospital sources is officially posted at Tral but “he only gives three days duty at the said hospital and four others days at District hospital Pulwama”
The sources in hospital also revealed that a digital x-ray machine was also given to the hospital but “after functioning for some months that got damaged and is yet to repaired for public conveniences”
“Due to lack of ENT, ortho and Ophthalmologist, we face many problems as we have to travel Srinagar or Anantnag to avail these facilities,” A local Adil Ashraf said.
Chief Medical Officer, Pulwama, Dr. Jaffer Akhoon, when contacted, told INS that, as per the sanctioned staff in SDH Tral by higher ups, the hospital already has consultants on their places.
He said that Ophthalmologist, ENT and orthopaedic posts are not yet sanctioned to the hospital by higher ups, due to which such specialists are not available there.
Jaffer further said that other SDHs have more PHCs than SDH Tral, due to which facilities there are more as compared to SDH Tral.
“It’s upto higher authorities that when and how the posts will be created in Tral hospital. As of now as per the sanctioned staff, all the consultants and machineries are working there”, Akhoon said.
When asked about Damaged x-ray machine and Radiologist, Jaffer said that, x-ray machine will be repaired soon while as “Radiologist will be permanently placed in SDH Tral as he was giving duties in Pulwama for some emergency cases”
Meanwhile, locals and doctors in hospital said that upgradation should be done in SDH Tral too, just like other SDHs, “so that posts will be created here and patient sufferings will also be mitigated.”
They said that Tral has more population than Bijbehara and Pampore, “therefore it deserves to be upgraded soon”
