People rue lack of round-the-clock USG facility at DH Handwara

Kupwara, Nov 24: The residents across north Kashmir’s Kupwara district have expressed strong resentment against authorities for failing to keep USG facility available round the clock at District Hospital Handwara resulting in severe hardships to the patients and attendants.

They said that the USG section of DH Handwara remains operational only during day time and after 4pm patients who are advised to go through emergency USG are forced to look for other alternatives.

“My father recently fell from a walnut tree and upon reaching District Hospital Handwara doctors advised him to go through an emergency USG. We took him to the USG room and surprisingly found the section locked. On enquiring, we found that the section remains operational till 4pm. Without losing further time, I along with my brother shifted our father to Government Medical College Baramulla,” Farooq Bhat, a local from Khahipora Handwara told Greater Kashmir.

“I am unable to figure out why the USG section can’t be run round the clock. DH Handwara is a premier health institution of Kupwara and patients from across the district, even from far off areas including Keran, Machil, Jumagund, Budnamal, Kumkadi and several other villages are being referred to DH Handwara after any emergency arises but lack of round the clock USG facility forces doctors to refer them to some tertiary hospital which at times proves detrimental,” he added.

Advocate Abdul Majid Banday, a social activist from Main Town Handwara remarked that lack of USG facility after 4pm at DH Hospital was giving tough time to the people who arrive here with high hopes. “Authorities should take some concrete steps in this regard so that the hardships being faced by people may end,” he added.

Meanwhile an official of DH Handwara told Greater Kashmir that due to lack of radiologists they were unable to run the section round the clock. “We have only two doctors available presently who are supposed to run the CT section also. We are hopeful that following the availability of a few more radiologists, the USG section would run round the clock,” he added.