Tral, Sep 18: A protest was held in Tral on Friday over alleged deficiencies in healthcare facilities at Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Tral, with protesters and political figures questioning the availability of adequate services at the government hospital despite recent infrastructure additions.
The protest comes months after the government inaugurated a dialysis centre and a fully automatic biochemistry analyser at SDH Tral. Health Minister Sakeena Itoo inaugurated the facilities in June 2026 in the presence of Tral MLA Rafiq Ahmad Naik.
During the protest, concerns were raised over the overall availability of healthcare facilities and services at the hospital. Social activist, Farooq Trali criticized what he described as inadequate attention to Tral’s healthcare requirements and alleged that ministers were focusing primarily on their respective constituencies.
The protest has brought renewed attention to the gap between infrastructure announcements and the availability of comprehensive healthcare services. Government records placed before the Legislative Assembly earlier this year stated that SDH Tral was a 30-bed facility and reported 1,056 C-sections and 603 major and minor surgeries during the preceding two years.
The government had also informed the Assembly that a Block Public Health Unit costing ₹80.96 lakh and a 20-bed prefabricated unit costing ₹35 lakh were under execution. It further stated that the dialysis unit was technically ready but was awaiting an online UPS and allied equipment at the time of the reply.
The subsequent inauguration of the dialysis centre in June indicated progress on at least one of those pending facilities. However, Friday’s protest suggests that people continue to seek improvements beyond individual projects and equipment.
The concerns raised at the protest include the broader functioning of SDH Tral and the availability of services required by patients who depend on the hospital for treatment.
The latest protest has also brought the role of the elected representative under scrutiny, with participants questioning whether the MLA has been able to secure the facilities and staffing required by the hospital. The government, meanwhile, has previously cited ongoing infrastructure works and service expansion at SDH Tral.
The protest ended with calls for the concerned authorities to address the reported deficiencies and ensure that the hospital provides adequate healthcare services to people of Tral and adjoining areas. [KNT]
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