Srinagar: If the healthcare system is painting a grim picture in the state, the fault does not only lie in the absence of healthcare policy, the credit also goes to the ‘vote bank’ politics which is equally contributing in making the healthcare system inefficient.

“It has been observed that the concerned MLAs want state-of-art- healthcare in their respective areas, which rationally is not possible, however, with their approach they are making it happen, which is having a back lash effect on the health care system,” sources said.

“It is literally not possible to come up with facilities like that of CT-Scan and Digital X-Rays at the Public Health Centres, these legislators are demanding things which are not possible,” said a source, adding “however, they get such things done eventually.”

Informed sources say that the establishment of such facilities at PHC level may seem like a development, but in actuality it is having a backlash effect on the system.

“If the Digital X-ray facility is installed at PHC, and if the paramedics identify that there is fracture or any grave injury inflicted, the patient has to be shifted to Sub-District Hospital,” so taking a mere X-ray of the patient is not going to help their case.

On an average the Public Health Centre may see 20-30 patients a day, which is contrary to the Sub-District hospitals where the number is way more, and rationally the facilities are meant to be installed at the Sub-District level.

“It is quite irrational to setup such facilities and demand for the same, where the doctors are to see only few patients, but what you see several times that the legislators are adamant, and finally make it happen,” sources said.

The role of legislators is being termed as higher in rank when it comes to the degradation of the health care system in the peripheries.

“There are guidelines that have been set for the establishment of PHCs of Sub-Centres, but when it comes to Kashmir, the guidelines are raised to the dust,” sources said.

The legislators don’t take it into consideration that how the additionally created infrastructure is going to work in the total absence of manpower, sources said.

With no abiding to the guidelines, the mushrooming of PHCs and Sub-Centres is only adding to the already existing huge infrastructure, which is leaving the health department clueless in managing the manpower for additionally created infrastructure, which can be observed by the lack of specialists in the peripheries.

Sources say that the picture that emerges is that the healthcare system is running under meager resources, with those in power putting additional pressure on the system by demanding the additional infrastructure in their respective constituencies, pushing peripheral healthcare system to the wall.

Guest