Srinagar |Apr 22 (PTK): A delegation of Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) led by its President Dr Nisar ul Hassan today met Health and Medical Education Minister Bali Bhagat at his residence in Srinagar and expressed serious concern over lack of emergency and trauma care in peripheral hospitals because of which precious lives are lost.
The minister was informed that it is the delay in treatment that is responsible for deaths among emergency and trauma patients who otherwise could be saved by timely intervention.
The delegation apprised the minister that hundreds of specialist doctors belonging to peripheral health system enjoy the privilege of postings in SKIMS and GMC thus depriving people in rural areas of specialist care particularly during emergencies, reads the statement.
“Blue-eyed doctors, in violation of transfer policy, are posted in city hospitals and at their places of choice for decades making patients in peripheries to suffer immensely,” it said.
The DAK stated that it is ironical that doctors particularly in teaching hospitals who are appointed full time for government hospitals are allowed private practice which is the root cause of health care mess in the state.
The minister while acknowledging private practice as the main cause of falling standards in medical colleges said that there will be a blanket ban on private practice soon which will improve patient care and teaching in these health institutions.
The delegation stressed on speedy implementation of drug policy which was aimed to keep free drugs available for poor patients in government hospitals.
“The menace of spurious and substandard drugs continues unabated in JK as the market is unregulated and unchecked and no efforts are made to curb it,” it said.
Minister assured the delegation of transparency and accountability in the system and assigned DAK the task of drafting a health care policy for the state to make quality health care accessible and affordable to all.
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