KUPWARA DIARY

District Hospital Handwara without dialysis centre, people suffer

Lack of dialysis centre at District Hospital Handwara is giving a tough time to the patients.

The residents said that since District Hospital Handwara caters to the entire Kupwara district, due to lack of a dialysis centre, patients were suffering and authorities were doing nothing in this regard.

“Since my father is suffering from kidney failure, I have to get his dialysis done every week by paying over Rs 2000 at a private dialysis centre at Sopore. Had there been a government sponsored dialysis centre in Handwara, I would not have to pay the amount,” said a local.

“I am unable to figure out how a district hospital has been deprived of a dialysis centre. This tells about the callous attitude of the authorities towards this health institution,” he said.

Block Development Council (BDC) Langate Chairman, Showkat Pandit said that the patients with kidney failure were facing severe hardships due to lack of a dialysis centre at District Hospital Handwara.

He said that earlier officials at the District Hospital Handwara would say that following shifting of hospital to new building, a dialysis centre would be started but five years have passed but the hospital is yet to be shifted to a new building due to reasons best known to the authorities.

Meanwhile, an official at District Hospital Handwara said that a dialysis centre already stands approved but due to lack of space, it has not been installed.

He said that soon after the hospital is shifted to a new building, a dialysis centre would be installed there.

People demand passenger compartments at Kupwara, Handwara

The people from heavy snowbound areas have demanded to set up passenger compartments at Kupwara and Handwara so that the persons who get stranded in winter due to road blockade can stay in these passenger compartments.

The residents said that people from Karnah, Machil, Keran, Kumkadi, Jumgund, Safawari, Moori, Budnamal, Mankal, Monbal, Nowgam, Puthwari often get stranded for several days in Kupwara and Handwara due to inclement weather during winters due to which they are subjected to face severe hardships.

“Only the poor are destined to face hardships. The well-off persons either own their houses in Kupwara or usually take rooms on rent during winters and thus escape hardships,” said a local from Machil.

He said that during medical emergencies people from higher reaches face most of the brunt as the roads remain closed for several days due to heavy snowfall.

Similar demands were echoed by people from heavy snowbound areas of Handwara. They said that usually their patients are being treated at District Hospital Handwara but every time they suffer due to non-availability of a passenger compartment there.

They have demanded that a passenger compartment be established at Kupwara and Handwara so that they can stay there during blockade of roads or other eventualities.

They have sought immediate intervention of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in this regard so that they may have some respite.

People rue lack of proper health facilities in Kumkadi

Located along Line of Control (LoC), the residents of Kumkadi area in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district have expressed resentment against the authorities for failing to provide them proper health facilities.

As a result they are subjected to face severe hardships.

The residents said that the lack of better health facilities have always been a telling factor for the population of over 3000.

The residents said that their area is a heavy snow bound one and lack of better health facilities gives them a tough time.

“Not only inadequate staff but lack of basic diagnostic facilities and pregnancy care are such aspects which haunt us and sometimes we think about migrating from here. At the time of any medical emergency during winters we are forced to shift patients on makeshift stretchers by walking several kilometers to reach a place where we board a vehicle. Since we don’t have the facility of an ambulance here we tend to shoulder our patients in heavy snow,” a local said.

“We are compelled to either shift pregnant women to Kupwara or Srinagar for lack of pregnancy care here and the expenses on shifting them has always been tough to bear due to poverty,” a local youth said.

The residents appealed to the health authorities to take some concrete steps in this regard so that the hardships being faced by them end.