Amid coronavirus scare, Govt shifting Anantnag TB Centre to congested locality

The health authorities are all set to relocate the lone tuberculosis hospital in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district to a rented accommodation in a congested locality of the town. The move comes at a time when there is a scare of coronavirus all around.

The hospital which was being run separately in a seventy-yearold spacious building at Janglat Mandi in Anantnag town was dismantled twoyears back on the directions of the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti toconstruct a multi-level parking.

Since then it is functioning from one of the buildings ofnearby district hospital, now upgraded to Government Medical College.

However, facing space-crunch, the medical collegeauthorities have repeatedly written to the health department asking them to getthe building vacated.

The department has now hired three rooms in congested CheeniChowk locality of the old town and will be shifting the hospital there in a fewdays.

The decision has drawn flak from doctors and locals alike.

“How is it possible to operate such a sensitive facility ina residential area,” a senior doctor told Greater Kashmir.

He said most of the patients with respiratory ailments visitthe facility and this will invite multiple infections.

“Instead of establishing isolation wards for these patientstill the coronavirus scare is over, the authorities are risking the lives ofpeople further,” the doctor said.

He said the hospital catering to south Kashmir and Chenabvalley districts sees around 200 patients in OPD per day during winters and 100in summers.

“We also conduct around 4000 CB Nat and 12,000 sputum testsin a year and this requires ample space for labs,” the doctor said.

He said the hospital last year alone screened 10,000 peoplefor active case finding (ACF).

“The doctors and paramedic staff already don’t have enoughaccommodation in this new set up,” the doctor said.

He said the hospital is crammed in a few rooms and there isnot ample space available for drug store.

“The X-ray plant is non-functional due to dearth of space,”the doctor added.

District Tuberculosis Officer (DTO) Dr Syed Faheem said whenthe hospital was dismantled they were assured of alternative location but thatdid not happen.

“We were told that the shifting of the hospital to districthospital premises was a temporary arrangement as it would be finally re-locatedto maternity and paediatric hospital at Sherbagh,” Faheem said.

The locals are also aghast over the move.

“If the government had no alternative available for TBhospital why did they dismantle the already available spacious building formulti-level parking,” asked Kuasar Ahmad, a local.

Ahmad alleged this was done to favour a particularcontractor by the then ruling party.

“Now by shifting the facility to a few rented rooms at thistime, when coronavirus threat looms large, the authorities are risking thelives of people further,” he added.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Anantnag, Mukhtar Ahmad,admitted that the residents are objecting to shifting the hospital to thecongested locality. “We are looking at other options. The dismantling of theheritage hospital building was not a wise decision at the first instance,”the CMO said.

Director Health Services Kashmir, Sameer Matoo, did notrespond to the calls from this reporter.