SRINAGAR: With movement severely restricted in Kashmir, the number of patients coming to hospitals has significantly decreased. All government hospitals are getting fewer patients than before, according to the staff of at least four prominent government hospitals in Srinagar.
There has been an increase in the number of ‘brought dead’ patients, say the staff of various government hospitals.
However, expecting mothers are rushing to hospitals in advance fearing that they may not be able to make it on time due to the restrictions imposed in the city in the wake of revocation of Article 370.
Dr Jamil Mir, Deputy Medical Superintendent of Srinagar’s largest maternity hospital Lal Ded, told this newspaper that there has been a change in the pattern of patient inflow at the hospital in the past one week.
“The number of OPD patients has decreased by 30 per cent but the number of women getting admitted has increased by about 10-15 per cent. But there is no crisis in the hospital. This is not the first time we are facing this sort of a situation,” said Dr Mir.
Farzana Bagha from Matan has been admitted in the Lal Ded hospital for past four days despite doctors telling her that she is still a few days away from delivery.
Srinagar’s children hospital has also seen a major dip in patients. Doctors say the total patient inflow has become one-fourth of what it usually is.
Strolling in the hospital ward with his sick two-year-old in arms, Ghulam Rasool of Batmaloo says, “We were stopped at least 10 times when we were coming here, but thankfully we made it in time.”
Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital is also unusually sparse.
“Till last week we used to get 200-300 patients daily but now the number has reduced by half. The number of ‘brought dead’ patients has increased because the families get delayed on the way due to restrictions,” said a senior doctor, adding that stroke patients are the worst sufferers.
Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, which sees the highest number of pellet victims, is also witnessing a 60 per cent reduction in patient inflow, according to the staff.