Kupwara, Oct 3: Healthcare services in the border town of Karnah are facing a severe manpower shortage, with 95 of 149 sanctioned posts of doctors and paramedical staff lying vacant.
The shortage has affected the functioning of the entire medical zone, with more than a dozen health centres reportedly remaining closed due to non-availability of staff.
Of the 31 sanctioned posts for doctors in the Karnah medical zone, only 11 are filled, leaving 20 vacant. Of the 11 doctors in position, one is holding the charge of Block Medical Officer and another is on study leave, leaving only nine doctors to serve a population of more than 80,000.
The shortage is also acute among paramedical staff. Against 118 sanctioned posts, only 43 are filled, leaving 75 vacant.
Locals said the shortage has particularly affected Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Tangdhar, the main healthcare facility serving the border area.
“The shortage of doctors and paramedical staff has affected the delivery of healthcare services and made access to medical care difficult for more than 80,000 people,” Khursheed Ahmad, a local resident, told Greater Kashmir.
There is currently no specialist doctor available at SDH Tangdhar, forcing patients to travel outside Karnah for specialised treatment.
“People in Karnah are heavily dependent on SDH Tangdhar. Because of the difficult terrain and geographical isolation, travelling outside the area for medical treatment is not easy, particularly for poor families and patients in serious condition,” said Wasim Ahmad.
Residents said the shortage has also affected diagnostic services, with tests including kidney function tests (KFT) and liver function tests (LFT) not being conducted due to the non-availability of staff.
“Basic diagnostic tests are equally important for proper treatment. Without KFT and LFT facilities, doctors face difficulty in properly diagnosing ailments,” Wasim said.
Residents urged the Health Department to fill the 95 vacant posts and ensure adequate deployment of doctors, paramedical personnel and laboratory staff across the medical zone.
They also demanded the deployment of specialist doctors at SDH Tangdhar and restoration of services at health centres affected by the staff shortage.
MLA Karnah Javid Mirchal said he had repeatedly raised the issue in the Assembly but no concrete action had been taken.
“We don’t have specialist doctors, including a gynaecologist, surgeon, physician and anaesthetist, at SDH Tangdhar, forcing patients to move to other places for treatment. I have time and again requested the Secretary Health and Director Health Services Kashmir to post specialist doctors at SDH Tangdhar, but to no avail,” he said.
Mirchal again urged the concerned department to fill vacant posts in the Karnah medical zone and deploy specialist doctors at SDH Tangdhar.
Block Medical Officer Karnah Dr Arif Khawaja said his office had written to higher authorities regarding the staff shortage across the medical zone.
“We are hopeful of getting significant staff in the coming days,” he said.
