Health care system : GMC and beyond

Sadaket Ali Malik

The very recent man made disaster of oxygen and lack of sufficient number of ventilators in the most -Government Medical college Jammu  has exposed the tall claims of Health for all. The lack of oxygen supply at the cost of lives of the patients has raised eye brows among the citizenry of this region in particular and the country and world in general. Put question mark on the poor management and poor health infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir and particularly in Government Medical College Houspital Jammu. The health care system in the region is looked after by the Department of Health and Medical Education having aim in managing, bringing improvement in the sector and improving the health conditions and status of the people especially in rural areas. It seeks to provide affordable medical facilities to the poor people. In the wake of COVID 19 outbreak there is no such saparate treatment centres exclusively for COVID patients. In such a situation the covid patients are being treated in already existing hospitals thereby led to the lack of doctors and other paramedical staff. 

        In GMC jammu, there is a kind of adminstrative inertia and carelessness being witnessed by the patients who come from poor and rural background. The steep increase of  COVID cases has made this problem more complicated. The lack of infrastructure like Ventilators, proper bedding, and proper look after has made this problem serious for the patients. The shortage of oxygen is a man made disaster and need to be provided in almost all the health centres even at District and Sub District level. The uninterrupted medical oxygen is the urgent need to cater to the peoples sufferings. 

The carelessness and authoritarian attitude of the doctors and other staff has been witnessed as one of the other reasons in GMC Jammu. This should be viewed seriously. There is no catagarisation of the patients i.e serious or not serious as to which patient need early and emergent treatment and care. All comes in a single category the lack if proper catagarisation of patients in GMC and other health care centres in Jammu region is a serious concern. This can prove as a disaster if not taken care. An  catagarisation is urgently needed. In modern times our GMC is lacking Telemedicine facility. That is  non functional. The other issues including in-sanitary conditions like Garbage- waste of masks, PPE kits are found littering in and around the hospital premises, this create another health concern. The sewage system in few areas of GMC jammu is in a bad shape. Lack of or non functioning of incinerators or sound waste management system is also solicited. The GMC jammu has only 100 ventilators and more need to be installed. The poor health condition in majority of the Districts of Jammu region is  eye opener for the planners and managers. The health facilities in Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban districts are also very poor and people are compelled to move to summer capital Jammu or outside in emergency cases due to the inadequate health infrastructure in the District and Sub District Hospitals. The lack of Professional doctors, Other allied Paramedical staff and proper equipments in these health institutions has put a question mark on the slogan of providing affordable and equitable health services to all. The specialised treatment is not available to the patients. Take the examples of Bhalessa area where a patients die half way before reaching the specialised treatment or access to it. 

   At this juncture, we need to reframe a state health policy and issue code of ethics to deal with the patients, create necessary infrastructure in the region and remove the deep slumber and adminstrative inertia of the people and managers of delivery of health care system. The GMC Jammu which is regarded as a premier health institution need to revisit its contours of commitment The additional recruitment of medical and para medical staff, an uniterrupted oxygen facility in all the Health centres is urgently solicited. The availability of doctors in rural settings especially in Bhalessa, Doda, Bhaderwah, Ramban, Kishtwar, Reasi, Udhampur and availability of specialised treatment in these centres is urgent call of hour to dealt with the two folded patients of General and COVID nature.

The Author is a columnist.