CIVIL SOCIETY AT G B PANT-Scoop News
Srinagar,August 31 (Scoop News) -A multi-disciplinary delegation of Civil Society Forum Kashmir (CSFK) comprising of eminent experts, senior doctors, media personnel, representatives of various trade organizations and other members today visited G.B. Panth Children’s’ Hospital to make an on-the-spot assessment of its performance, day-to-day functioning, patient-care activities and various immediate as well as long-term requirements. Delegation was briefed by the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Prof Muneer Masoodi, Principal, GMC, Srinagar, Prof Rafiq Ahmad Pampori and by HOD Paediatrics, Prof. Kaisar Ahmad about the medicare facilities available in the Hospital.
Prof Muneer Masoodi provided an outline of the steps and measures taken by the hospital authorities towards improving patient care. He gave a detailed overview of the new equipments procured and installed in the hospital over the past fifteen months besides measures taken to streamline administration and governance. He also elaborated upon various central and state level schemes implemented in the hospital for providing assistance to the patients and their attendants and to reduce mortality and also emphasized upon steps required to be taken to improve the system further. Dr Rafiq Ahmad Pampori assured full support to the Medical Support and his staff in every respect and ensured speedy fulfillment of their genuine demands.
Later on, the CSFK delegation visited various Neonatal and Paediatric Units of the hospital to take stock of the facilities available to the patients as well difficulties faced by them. All members of the delegation were highly appreciative of the drastic improvements in overall facilities and functioning of the hospital and asserted that there was clearly a visible change towards positive side in the standards of the patient care as well the infrastructure. They were upbeat about the hard work done by Prof Masoodi and his team and urged upon them to continue with their good work in future too and assured them of their full support in their endeavour.
However both the administrative staff and the members of the delegation were highly concerned about the paucity of paediatric care services in peripheral hospitals and the consequent overload on the hospital arising out of such deficiency. They felt an acute need for reviving and revamping the entire peripheral patient care system in the state. Need for greater accountability at peripheral hospitals was seriously perceived by all the members besides the need for augmentation of the staff of faculty, nursing and paramedical staff of the G.B. Panth Hospital. Based on its assessment and observations, Civil Society Forum Kashmir urges upon the Health and Medical Education department to take immediate steps towards further upgradation of the hospital in terms of staff strength, availability of funds, space, better control over sewerage treatment, regular power supply facilities, establishment of super-speciality departments like Neonatology, Paediatric Gastro-enterology etc. CSFK will send a detailed report and recommendations to the concerned quarters in this regard for timely action by the government. Other issues like progress on construction of a new paediatric hospital as promised by the Chief Minister a couple of years back, availability of standard quality drugs in the hospital, implementation of drug policy provisions and various central schemes in relation to the maternal and child health in the hospital and progress in investigation into the infant deaths at the hospital couple of years back were also discussed threadbare. Medical Superintendent of the hospital and Principal GMC, Srinagar assured prompt and prudent action in all these matters and urged upon the CSFK to generate awareness about the healthcare facilities and central schemes available at the hospital.
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