INSIDE OFFICIAL AUDIT: 300% increase in patients, 0% increase in manpower!
Srinagar, Jan 6: The recent audit of SKIMS Medical College & Hospital (MCH) Bemina has exposed a major crisis at the facility that forms the backbone of healthcare delivery for north and many other parts of Kashmir. The patient load has skyrocketed across specialties without matching expansions in beds, staff, or facilities.
The audit, dated December 31, 2025, amply shows that the hospital has transformed into a "high-pressure tertiary care referral centre". However, what is equally evident and more alarming is that it is buckling under the multiplied load. The audit has brought up concerns about "patient safety, quality of care, and staff burnout. The report has been issued by the Local Audit Party AMG-I-K05, and has scrutinised specialty-wise data on OPD attendance, IPD admissions, and surgical workloads from 2021-22 to September 2025.
It underlines "a consistent and steep escalation in patient load across almost all clinical specialties, particularly Orthopedics, Gynaecology & Obstetrics, General Medicine, Psychiatry and Accident & Emergency Services", and "a commensurate rise in major and minor surgical interventions."
In Accident & Emergency (A&E) Services alone, the strain, as shown by the audit, could be catastrophic. "OPD/A&E attendance increased from 91,279 cases in 2021-22 to 2,54,531 cases in 2024-25, registering an increase of nearly 179% within three years". In the partial year of 2025, from April up to September, "A&E handled 1,54,115 cases, reflecting unabated inflow." The department carries out "between 3,257 and 4,052 minor surgeries annually.
The disproportionate growth of service must have been responded to by strenthening of infrastructure, bed strength and manpower availability, which has not happened, the audit states.
The intense operational pressure, could pose risk of potential implications for "response time, patient triaging and medico-legal compliance".
General Medicine for which the hospital is a key referral hub, the OPD attendance surged from 38,708 (2021-22) to 1,36,411 (2024-25), 252% increase. The IPD admissions increased from 1,987 to 4,155. This, the audit says, contributes significantly to bed occupancy and diagnostic workload.
The Orthopedics department is the hardest-hit. The audit states that the "OPD attendance increased sharply from 56,129 (2021-22) to 1,62,859 (2024-25)" and "IPD admissions rose from 3,116 to 3,326, despite limited bed expansion." Surgical demands have literally exploded. Minor orthopaedic surgeries increased from 485 (2021-22) to 12,741 (2024-25), while Major surgeries increased from 1,684 to 2,228 during this time.
The audit warns that the kind of demand and reliance on this hospital could be negatively impacting post-operative care capacity and manpower adequacy.
Similarly, Gynaecology & Obstetrics faces immense overload. The OPD attendance has been increasing and risen from 58,753 (2021-22) to 72,638 (2024-25). The IPD admissions increased from 4,424 to 10,912, more than doubling in four years. The surgical interventions have skyrocketed: major surgeries rose from 1,923 to 4,176, while minor surgeries increased from 584 to 3,478. The rapid rise in obstetric workload includes LSCS and high-risk pregnancies. "Without proportionate expansion of labour rooms, neonatal support and nursing staff, this may adversely impact maternal and neonatal outcomes."
The Psychiatry department's threefold rise in demand shows a growing mental health crisis in Kashmir. The OPD attendance increased from 26,733 (2021-22) to 85,111 (2024-25), jn this department. Yet, the infrastructure and trained psychiatric manpower have not shown equivalent expansion.
Paediatrics reported an OPD attendance rise from 16,651 to over 82,073, 393% increase.
SKIMS Medical College Hospital, Bemina is a major multi-specialty hospital that caters to patients from across Kashmir, and forms the backbone of healthcare delivery for north Kashmir.
