Dismal Maternity care | LD Hospital struggles with shortage of medical equipments amidst heavy patient influx

Srinagar, Dec 17: In the face of a mounting influx of patients at Kashmir's premier maternity hospital, LD Hospital, healthcare providers find themselves contending with shortages in necessary medical equipment.

Despite having attended to over 1.7 lakh patients this year until October, the hospital is grappling with deficiencies that are compromising healthcare delivery, according to medicos.

According to information obtained through a Right to Information by MM Shuja, the LD Hospital's management has disclosed deficiencies in critical equipment across various departments. Shortages include 50 labour delivery beds, 50 arm needles, 500 V-drapes, 500 infusion pumps, 20 sphygmomanometers, and 30 seats for Station Isolation, HDU, and PIH equipment. As per the reply, the First Stage Labour room lacks 10 wheelchairs, 5 patient trolleys, and 20 fetal Dopplers. In the Second Stage Labour room, there is only one CTG Machine, five vacuum apparatuses, five oxygen masks, and two transport incubators for babies.

The Modular Operation Theatre is also facing shortages, with deficiencies in equipment such as laparoscopic scissors, six 10mm trocars, 12 5mm trocars, four bi-polar forces, four bowel forceps, two 10mm extractors, three enseal forceps, 30 harmonic forceps, one laparoscopic lens (10mm), one gas insufflator, two gas insufflator pipes, four hysteroscopic forceps, two hysteroscopic lenses, and one endomet.

Simultaneously, the Outpatient Department (OPD) has recorded a substantial increase in patient numbers over the years, with figures for 2020 at 142,088 patients, 2021 at 192,420 patients, 2022 at 194,655 patients, and October 2023 at 173,733 patients. In the Inpatient Department (IPD), the total number of patients checked was 29,757 in 2020, 32,697 in 2021, 36,715 in 2022, and 31,505 up to October 2023.

In 2020, a total of 15,406 surgeries were performed, marking the beginning of a trajectory that continued to ascend. The subsequent year, 2021, saw a slight increase, with 15,610 surgeries conducted, the year 2022 recorded a substantial rise, reaching 18,032 surgeries. However, a noteworthy trend emerged in 2023 up to October, where a total of 17,464 surgeries were performed. Simultaneously, the hospital experienced fluctuations in the realm of normal deliveries, with 7,305 in 2020, 7,786 in 2021, 7,473 in 2022, and 5,965 recorded up to October 2023.

The hospital has also recorded neonatal deaths, with 130 deaths in 2020, 156 deaths in 2021, 168 deaths in 2022, and 142 deaths reported in 2023 until October.

LD Hospital recorded 11,214 referrals in 2020, 9,802 in 2021, 9,306 in 2022, and 7,691 in October 2023.

The influx of patients from far-flung areas is taking a toll on the healthcare deliverance at the Lal Ded Hospital, the largest tertiary care Gynecology and Obstetrics facility in Kashmir.

Maternity care in Kashmir heavily relies on Lal Ded Hospital, and the increasing number of referrals is straining its resources. Despite a slight dip in referral cases, the numbers remain alarmingly high, prompting concerns about the need to strengthen the rural healthcare system.