Barzulla’s Bone and Joint Hospital lacks Echo facility, patients bear the brunt
Ishtiyaq Kar
Srinagar, April 09 (KINS): The Bone and Joint Hospital in Barzulla, Srinagar — one of Kashmir’s premier orthopedic government hospitals — continues to lack a critical medical facility: the echocardiogram (Echo) test, causing immense hardships for patients, especially those in critical condition.
Due to the non-availability of the Echo test, even emergency and surgical patients are forced to travel in ambulances to associate hospitals like Shireen Bagh in Karan Nagar to get this basic cardiac examination done.
The absence of this facility in a tertiary care hospital has raised serious concerns over the government’s healthcare planning.
“When the government is claiming to provide the best facilities in public hospitals, how can such an essential test be missing from a critical hospital like this?” asked a visibly distressed patient who had to undergo the ordeal late last night.
Jamsheed Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar, narrated his recent harrowing experience to KINS, “My mother is admitted here. She was scheduled for surgery yesterday. Before the procedure, the doctors recommended an Echo test because she is a heart patient. I was shocked to learn that the facility is not available here,” he said.
“We were told to take her in an ambulance — with oxygen support — to Shireen Bagh Hospital just for the test. She was in pain and could barely move. Another critical patient was also in the same ambulance. Is this what we call patient care?” he questioned.
Multiple patients and attendants confirmed that this has been a regular practice. “Patients requiring Echo are routinely shifted to other hospitals, even though this is a major orthopedic center,” another attendant said.
When KINS reached out to Principal Government Medical College Srinagar, Dr. Iffat, for her comments, she abruptly said, “Visit my office, we will discuss it,” and hung up the phone.
The hospital’s In-charge Medical Superintendent, Dr. Altaf, acknowledged the problem.
“Yes, the Echo facility is not currently available in the hospital. We have written for the procurement of the Echo machine and have also arranged a cardiologist,” he said. “We are shifting into a new building soon, and we are hopeful that the facility will be available there. Until then, patients who need the Echo are being shifted.”
He admitted it is a priority issue and said, “We understand how difficult it is for our staff and patients to manage this situation. But we are hopeful that the facility will be available very soon.”
Former Medical Superintendent, Dr. Nazir Ahmad, who retired recently, also confirmed the absence of the facility.
“We had placed an order for the Echo machine. It was supposed to arrive soon,” he said. (KINS)
