Srinagar, Jan 30: Patients visiting the Super Speciality Hospital at Sheeren Bagh in Srinagar are facing severe hardship as the CT Scan machine at the facility has remained defunct for more than a month, severely affecting diagnostic services and patient care.
According to patients and attendants, people suffering from various ailments, including serious and emergency conditions, are being denied timely investigations due to the non-functioning of the CT Scan facility. Many patients are either forced to return home without a proper diagnosis or seek costly scans at private diagnostic centres, adding to their financial burden.
Firdous Ahmad, a resident of Kralgund Handwara, told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that nearly 100 patients are being turned back every day because of the non-availability of CT Scan services at the hospital. He said patients travel from far flung areas with the hope of getting timely medical investigations, only to be disappointed on arrival.
He said the situation is particularly distressing for poor patients who cannot afford private diagnostic tests and depend entirely on government hospitals for treatment. “Patients with serious conditions are suffering due to delays in diagnosis, which can worsen their health,” he said.
Attendants alleged that despite the hospital being a major tertiary care centre, no alternative arrangement has been put in place during the prolonged breakdown. They said repeated appeals to the concerned authorities have yielded no result so far.
The continued malfunction of the CT Scan machine has raised serious questions about hospital management and maintenance of critical medical equipment. Patients have urged the health authorities to take immediate steps to repair or replace the defunct machine and restore diagnostic services at the earliest to prevent further inconvenience and risk to patients’ lives. [KNT]
