Power crisis plagues health institutions across Baramulla, patient care hit

Baramulla, Nov 18: As the power crisis continues to tighten its grip across north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, the consequences are nowhere more palpable than in the vital health institutions scattered across the district.

The worst affected health institutions are the sub district hospitals and scores of other institutions, especially the Primary Health Centres in the district.
Among the affected health institutions are the ones in Uri, Boniyar, Pattan, and Tangmarg.

These healthcare facilities, responsible for safeguarding the well being of the local population, find themselves in the middle of an acute power shortage. There is a grim scenario with erratic power supply paralysing essential medical services in these institutions.
The Sub District Hospital in Uri, Primary Health Centre in Boniyar, and Sub District Hospitals in Pattan and Tangmarg are all grappling with the adverse effects of an insufficient and unreliable power supply.

While some have been equipped with generators to sustain operations, these machines are either plagued by frequent malfunctions or lack the capacity to support critical equipment like X-ray machines.
Primary Health Centre Boniyar, a lifeline for residents in far-flung villages, is a major example of the unfolding crisis.

Locals lament the absence of a consistent 24x7 power supply, highlighting the inadequacy of the small generator that struggles to meet the hospital's energy demands.
The X-ray plant, a crucial diagnostic tool, lies silent due to the power deficiency, forcing patients to seek medical attention elsewhere.
The only generator available at the health centre is unable to run the essential medical equipment including the X-ray plant.

Muhammad Irfan, a concerned resident, said that the PHC Boniyar was an important health facility centre in the area, catering to patients of over a dozen villages, mostly located close to the Line of Control (LoC).

“The area often witnesses road mishaps and as such the operational X-ray unit becomes indispensable. However, following frequent power cuts, patients in need of the X-ray had to be shifted to the GMC Baramulla which otherwise could have been carried out at the PHC Boniyar itself,” Irfan said.
The SDH Pattan, designed as a trauma centre along the Srinagar-Baramulla highway, faces a similar predicament.
Despite its critical role in providing timely medical interventions during accidents, the absence of a continuous power supply leaves the hospital dependent on a
faltering generator.

The power crisis has also hit the Sub District Hospital Uri.
The SDH Uri too is without the emergency power service, with the result the hospital often faces crisis.

Although the health centre has been allotted the required generator, the frequent power crisis is a big hurdle in the winter in the smooth functioning of the institution.

The hospital authorities at a Primary Health Centre in Rafiabad said that the patients, attendants and the staff at the hospital are facing immense hardships following
the frequent power cuts in the area.

They said that the generator sets available for the hospital often develop snag, with the result, it severely affects the hospital functioning.
“We are unable to operate USG, X-ray, or X-ray equipment following the frequent power cuts. Once the power crisis is resolved, the patients will be its biggest beneficiaries,” the hospital authorities said.