High-end equipment gathers dust at District Hospital Shopian

Shopian, Nov 11: In some instances, there is a stark imbalance between doctors and adequate equipment, and conversely there are situations where there are machines but a shortage of medical professionals persists.

This predicament is evident at District Hospital Shopian.
A high-end echocardiogram machine lying in the hospital is gathering dust in the absence of technicians or a cardiologist.
The machine was installed in the facility on February 14, 2023.

However, it is lying unused as there is no specialised staff to operate it.
Similarly, at least eight ventilators in the hospital are not being used by the hospital authorities due to a shortage of specialised staff.
“All these machines are gathering dust, resulting in enhanced referrals,” sources said.

They also said that an RT-PCR machine was brought to the facility soon after the second wave of COVID gripped the area like other parts of the country, but it was not made operational.
The Medical Superintendent of District Hospital Shopian, Dr Rubeena Maqbool said that they did not have a cardiologist to handle the echocardiogram machine.
However, she said that the ventilators and other equipment were being used whenever needed.
Interestingly, in another scenario, two trained radiologists are working as medical officers in the hospital, but the hospital lacks a crucial CT scan facility, highlighting a mismatch in available expertise and equipment.

“The lack of CT scan facility not only increases the treatment costs of patients but also puts an extra burden on the tertiary hospitals,” said a doctor.
He said that the lack of such crucial facilities was significantly contributing to referral rates from the district.
Dr Rubeena said that the site for the installation of the CT scan machine was ready with all plumbing and electrical work done.

“However, the machine is yet to be delivered by a private company. We have received a communication from the company that the machine is being imported from the Netherlands and is currently en route,"
The hospital was established in 1977 as a Sub-District Hospital (SDH) and was upgraded to a District Hospital after the area received district status.
The facility caters to a population of over 2.5 lakh.

However, the facility faced consistent neglect by all the successive governments.

“The hospital is facing a shortage of manpower and some crucial facilities like CT scan,” said Magray Mansoor, a prominent social activist from the town.
Magray said that the Jan Aushadhi store located within the hospital lacked important medicines prescribed by the doctors at the hospital.