Kupwara, Sep 16: Lack of specialist doctors at Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Kralpora has been causing inconvenience to residents for years, forcing patients to travel to Kupwara or Handwara for specialised treatment.
Residents said they have repeatedly raised the issue with the concerned authorities and sought the posting of specialist doctors at the hospital, but their pleas have yielded no results.
They said only a few doctors are posted at the hospital, which is inadequate to cater to the healthcare needs of more than one lakh people.
“We do not have specialist doctors including ENT, orthopaedics, ophthalmology and paediatrics. As a result, we have to travel to Kupwara or Handwara for treatment. I fail to understand why specialist doctors are not being posted here,” Irfan Lone, a local, told Greater Kashmir.
“After our hospital was upgraded to an SDH, we had high hopes of getting better healthcare facilities, but nothing like that happened. This hospital caters to more than one lakh people but has never been a healer to them,” he added.
Residents also questioned the functioning of the hospital’s operation theatre, saying that although it was made functional a few years ago, not a single surgery has been conducted there so far.
They urged the Health Department to fill the specialist posts and ensure that SDH Kralpora provides specialised healthcare to the large population it serves.
Meanwhile, Trehgam MLA Mir Saifullah acknowledged the hardships being faced by people due to the shortage of specialist doctors at SDH Kralpora.
He said the issue had already been taken up with the Health Minister and expressed hope that the grievances of the people would be redressed soon.
