Change in timing hits critical care services at SSH Srinagar

Srinagar, Aug 25: A  government order issued in April this year to change the timing of doctors and paramedical staff at the Super Speciality Hospital (SSH) in Srinagar has badly impacted patient care with critical medical services remaining non-available here after the afternoon hours on Saturdays.

Due to the order to change the timing of doctors from 9 am to 5 pm instead of the routine 10 to 4:30, Saturday remains only a half day at the hospital as a result of which medical services even in the critical cardiac care section are getting badly impacted.

Earlier authorities in an order said that the working hours of doctors in GMC Srinagar will be from 9 am till 5 pm and on Saturday the working time will remain from 9 am to 1:30 pm while there will be a lunch break of half an hour from 1.30 pm to 2 pm.  The new timings are operational at SMHS Hospital, Bone and Joint Hospital, Chest Disease Hospital, Super Specialty and Lal Ded Hospital, the order said.

According to sources only the Resident doctors who remain on the late night shift work at the hospital from late in the afternoon on Saturdays which has badly impacted the services at the hospital. Several doctors said that on a normal day, the patients are unable to come to the hospital by 9 am and the actual work even in OPDs starts at an earlier time of 10 am.

The critical medical services including in the cardiac care speciality like the angiography are conducted on the working days only and remain affected in the afternoon hours on Saturday which have also raised serious questions on the effective functioning of the hospital. The patients heavily rely on medical attention at the SSH with some facilities like the CT coronary angiography only available at the hospital in Kashmir.

With key services remaining non-functional at the hospital on Saturdays due to the order, patients prefer to undergo critical procedures particularly related to cardiac care at private hospitals at a significantly higher rate.

An angiography test which costs only Rs 7000 at the SSH hospital becomes available at the private hospital at nearly double the cost. With private hospitals having suspended the medical services on the “Golden Card” the poor patients suffer badly due to the new working arrangements.

Sources at the hospital said that those in the lower rung staff are particularly facing difficulties to attend to work by the new timing which has been set by the government. “There are several class-IV employees like sweepers who are facing a tough time to reach the hospital by the duty time.

The new timings have been changed at the GMC and its associated hospitals, but the SSH being a critical care facility we have removed the cover of consultants from 1:30 pm on Saturdays, which is dangerous for patients,” said a senior doctor posted at GMCH.

When the issue was brought to the notice of Health Secretary, Abid Rashid Shah, he said that it “will be addressed.”

“The order has been under operation for the last 3 months, but the difficulties will worsen in the winter. Would it be possible for the staff to come for duty by 9 am in winter? Most of the employees rely on public transport to reach the hospital which remains unavailable early in the morning,” a senior doctor said.