Doctor shortage hampers patient care at Kulgam hospital

Kulgam, Nov 20: The severe shortage of doctors at District Hospital Kulgam is crippling healthcare in this south Kashmir district, with the operation theatres functioning for only 6 hours every day.

A health official said that while the hospital in Kulgam was upgraded to a district hospital in 2007, it continues to function as a sub-district hospital in terms of staff and resources.

“Only the name changed from Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Kulgam to District Hospital (DH) Kulgam, but the staff strength remains the same,” the official said.

The hospital has 32 sanctioned posts for doctors, of which only 13 are consultant specialists and 19 are medical officers.

However, even out of these sanctioned posts, two senior consultant specialist posts remain vacant.

Temporary arrangements have been made by deploying doctors, primarily medical officers, from other blocks of the district to the hospital.

The Gynecology Department is run by two consultants, two medical officers, and two National Health Mission (NHM) doctors.

However, caesarean surgeries are rarely performed during the night, forcing pregnant women to seek care at Anantnag Maternity Hospital or other city hospitals, adding to their burden.

Similarly, the Surgery Department struggles with inadequate staffing.

A single consultant, a junior consultant, and three medical officers, working on temporary arrangements run the department.

“Emergency surgeries and accident cases between 4 pm and 10 am are referred elsewhere,” an official said.

The hospital has only one sanctioned post for an orthopaedic consultant, which limits its ability to handle related cases.

The ENT section is also under strain, with only a consultant post lying vacant and two medical officers managing the department.

The Ophthalmology Department has one consultant and a medical officer who is originally posted in another block.

The Pediatric Department, crucial for child healthcare, is run by a single consultant paediatrician supported by a few medical officers, severely affecting service delivery.

Despite being equipped with modern diagnostic tools like USG and CT scans, the hospital lacks a specialist radiologist.

Three medical officers, recently attached due to dereliction of duties, previously managed this section, leaving it completely defunct.

Pregnant women often seek ultrasounds at private clinics due to the absence of sonologists.

The Psychiatry Department is operated by a lone medical officer with specialisation in psychiatry as the only sanctioned consultant post continues to lie vacant.

The hospital continues to face shortages across departments, including dental surgeons, further straining healthcare delivery in the district.

Medical Superintendent Dr Gulzar Ahmed acknowledged the acute shortage of sanctioned staff.

“We have taken up the matter with higher authorities and expect a positive response,” he said.

Dr Ahmed attributed the lack of manpower in the Surgery Department including paramedic staff to the inability to conduct surgeries at night.

However, he said that caesarean surgeries were performed during night hours.

The Medical Superintendent said that two new doctors were expected to join the Radiology Department soon.