SMHS hospital sans adequate ticket counters

Srinagar, Jan 1: Failure of authorities to provide basic healthcare facilities at SMHS hospital here is taking heavy toll on patients.

Long and unending queues of patients are daily witnessed at SMHS Hospital where they wait for hours to get ticket for consultation. Ironically there is just a single counter for disseminating OPD tickets to hundreds of patients who visit the hospital from various areas of Kashmir.

 Similarly those who have to undergo CT Scan and MRI have also to remain in long queues for hours together for paying fees.
 Scene outside the OPD ticket counter always remains chaotic.

“It is ironically that patients have to wait for hours together to get a ticket for consultation with doctors. Such procedure is not adopted in any part of the world,” said a medico working at SMHS.
 The patients from rural areas are the worst sufferers due to lack of basic infrastructure.  “I had to wait for two hours to get OPD ticket while my daughter who had suffered severe burn injuries on face, was crying,” a woman said with moist eyes.

 Her miseries however didn’t end here.  She had to wait for another hour in the queue to get her daughter examined by doctor.
 Similar scene was witnessed at the counter where CT Scan and MRI reports are delivered.

 “I am waiting for two hours here and I don’t know how long it will take me to get my report,” said Zahoor Ahmad.

 “Here people are treated like animals… nobody cares for humans. Why doesn’t SMHS management increase number of counters and staff to tackle rush of patients in a smooth manner?”Zahoor questioned.

 Experts said SMHS should take a cue from SKIMS Sours which has multiple counters. “Queues at SKIMS are comparatively smaller due to multiple counters,” said a senior medico requesting not to be named.

 Medical Superintendent SMHS, Nazir Ahmad Chowdhary played down the issue. “Normally we have four counters to disseminate tickets to patients but due to cold weather our staff goes inside the building. We have four computers and adequate staff for this purpose,” he said.

 “If we add further counters, the rush of patients inside the hospital would increase and then who would treat them”, Chowdhary added.

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SA/EN