Shopian, April 15, KNT: Shopian Civil Society on Wednesday raised concerns over the functioning of District Hospital Shopian, alleging that the facility lacks adequate infrastructure, staffing, and administrative support despite being designated as a district hospital.
Vice President of the civil society group, Muhammad Yaqoob Gatoo, said the hospital is “only by name a district hospital” and in practice operates at the level of a sub-district facility.
He alleged that there has been no meaningful upgradation of the hospital and that it continues to face shortages of doctors and paramedical staff, affecting patient care.
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Gatoo further said that the hospital has been functioning without a Medical Superintendent for the past four months. He added that even when in-charge arrangements are made, the absence of Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) powers limits administrative functioning.
Highlighting infrastructure constraints, he told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the emergency ward has only four beds, which he termed inadequate given the patient load. “Thousands of patients visit the OPD, and people have to wait for hours due to lack of facilities,” he said.
He said the civil society had earlier approached the Director Health Services, urging upgradation of the hospital to meet district-level requirements, but no action has been taken so far.
The group has called for immediate intervention to address staffing shortages, improve infrastructure, and streamline administrative functioning to ensure better healthcare delivery in the district.. [KNT]
