Patients shiver in Kupwara’s health centres amid prolonged heating gas outage

Kupwara, Dec 2: Several peripheral health institutions, including Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) in Medical Block Kupwara, have been operating without heating gas since November 15, causing severe inconvenience to patients and staff amid harsh winter conditions.

Sources in the health department said the disruption stems from a large backlog of unpaid liabilities. A “huge past liability” running into several lakhs of rupees is reportedly pending at the block level, prompting suppliers to stop providing fresh heating gas cylinders to the centres.

Health workers posted at the affected facilities said the absence of heating has begun to cripple routine operations, particularly early-morning OPD services and inpatient care.

“Patients are forced to wait in cold rooms, and staff, too, are struggling to function. This is not the way essential health services should operate in winter,” a medical officer said, requesting anonymity.

Sources also pointed to unusually high volumes of OPD and IPD ticket purchases, despite the availability of the government’s online ticketing system. The inconsistency has raised concerns about possible financial discrepancies or weak oversight within the administrative setup.

With winter deepening across north Kashmir, patients and healthcare staff are hopeful that authorities will act swiftly to restore heating arrangements and streamline administrative functioning in the peripheral institutions of Block Kupwara.

When Greater Kashmir brought the issue to the notice of newly posted Chief Medical Officer Kupwara, Zafar Akbar, he assured that the matter “will be resolved very soon.”