Srinagar: Patients at Kashmir’s main maternity specialty, Lal Ded Hospital, Srinagar, are facing problems as the Biochemistry Analyser, which carries Liver Function Test is lying defunct, for more than a week now.
As a result the blood samples have to be taken to SMHS hospital.
Attendants of several patients said that lack of testing facility forces them to carry blood samples of patients to SMHS Hospital leading to delays in treatment, besides hassles to attendants.
“It’s a sheer negligence on part of hospital administration,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a resident of Habba Kadal.
Ahmad said he had to carry blood samples of his sister to SMHS Hospital during night because a technician at LD refused to test her blood sample for LFT.
“It was a hard time to travel during night hours from one hospital to another that too in the prevailing situation,” he said.
Another attendant, Sofi Tariq from Safa Kadal told Kashmir Reader that he had to wait for a day before he could know the status of his pregnant wife because of lack of LFT testing facility at LD Hospital.
“Her blood sample was sent to SMHS Hospital on the evening of September 29 and the test report came next day. It delayed the diagnosis and subsequently her surgery,” he said.
Doctors at the hospital said they had to face furious attendants every time they ask them to get blood samples tested in other hospital for the simple test.
“They are not able to make an important analyser functional even as one week has passed since it developed a technical snag. It reflects the mismanagement at the hospital,” said a senior resident.
Liver function tests (LFTs), also known as liver chemistries, help determine the health of liver by measuring the levels of proteins, liver enzymes, and bilirubin in patient’s blood.
Doctors say that problems with the liver can make a person very sick and can even be life-threatening.
Medical Superintendent LD Hospital, Dr Shabir Seddiqui said the biomedical analyser will start working again soon.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to the patients due to the stoppage of biochemistry analyser. But, we had already informed the company they have almost repaired it,” he said.
“We have been collecting blood samples of many patients and sent them to SMHS Hospital lab collectively to get the examinations done to lessen the hassle,” he said.

Manzoor ul-Hassan