NAZIR GANAIE
SRINAGAR –– While the floods wreaked havoc across Kashmir, Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in capital Srinagar is learnt to have spent INR 36 million on a 200-bedded makeshift hospital at its Sarai (hospital Inn) that doesn’t exist anymore.
Sources said that instead of organizing medical camps at various places of flood-affected city and valley, as was done by NGOs, Army, police and Mohalla committees, SKIMS took a “big bite” and created the makeshift hospital which no longer exists.
They said despite deputing their staff in Soura and JVC Bemina to various areas in Srinagar and other places devastated by flood across Kashmir, the administration was busy creating arrangements for the makeshift hospital.
“Instead of boosting the facility at SKIMS and JVC Hospital (SKIMS Medical College), why was this huge amount spending on the makeshift hospital which doesn’t exist now,” sources said.
“The staff members of JVC Bemina were forced to attend SKIMS even though there was no connectivity. People needed services in eastern and southern parts of Srinagar and not in north where SKIMS is located. The hospital was cut off via Qamarwari, Karan Nagar, Lal Chowk and Nishat, so there was no need of a temporary hospital there,” they said.
Sources said the director of SKIMS, Dr Showkat Ali Zargar, had proposed to the then chief minister, Omar Abdullah, to release INR 36 million for the temporary hospital. The proposal, a copy of which is with Authint Mail, states that a 200-bedded hospital in newly constructed patient Sarai at SKIMS was needed and a detailed list of items was send to the government for the immediate approval.
The director immediately issued order for starting the multi-million makeshift facility at the hospital Sarai after getting approval from the Omar Abdullah under vide order number PS/PRS/HCM/1403/2014-dated 27-9-2014.
The order says that the approval of chief minister, who is also the chairman of SKIMS’s governing body, was conveyed to ensure full functioning of both the newly constructed patient Sarais for patients including provisions of civil, electrical, and IT facilities within weeks’ time.
The matter was officially communicated as “most urgent” along with the list of equipment directly purchased by the SKIMS officials.
“It’s unfortunate. They spent a whooping sum on the makeshift hospital. But they didn’t bother to improve the services in the functional hospital of JVC or at SKIMS itself,” said a senior faculty at SKIMS, wishing not to be named.
“Dr Zargar insisted the government that supplies should reach SKIMS within one week to make the temporary hospital functional. Four months post floods, the temporary hospital does not exist,” the faculty member said, adding the flood-hit hospitals already started functioning fully by October-November 2014.
However the makeshift was still considered as a “priority” by the SKIMS authorities.
“The ground reality is that during September flood, SKIMS had less than 30 percent patients attending its OPD and wards and casualty had nearly 60 percent beds vacant,” said another faculty at SKIMS.
“The medical staff could have been spared to provide health advice and support to community by organizing medical camps.”
According to official documents, the flood waters had receded earliest from JVC hospital which was completely dry with NGOs organizing medical camps at the gate of the hospital.
However, sources said, SKIMS was “reluctant” to start the hospital which the staff of JVC managed to start and was fully functional as is evident from the circular from Medical Superintendent (SKIMS/MCH/2014/1877 Dated 27-09-2014 ).
Insiders at SKIMS said that despite a missive from the government that the JVC hospital should be functional from September, 28, 2014, the authorities allegedly kept the government in dark and went ahead with the 200-bedded makeshift hospital which, according to sources, “earned them good sum”, as there was confusion and lack of accountability in official corridors when the flood hit the region.
An official document issued by the medical superintendent’s office of JVC, Bemina, quoting GAD orders (SKIMS/MCH/2014/1877), states that the hospital was supposed to be officially functional from September 27.
However, a message from director’s office had gone to all the JVC and other faculty members to report at the SKIMS. Insiders allege that the functioning of JVC hospital could have created hurdles in the way of making a temporary hospital at SKIMS.
Medical Superintendent, SKIMS, Dr Farooq Jan said the makeshift hospital was “need of the hour” as a huge influx of patients were received from Bone and Joints hospital, LD hospital, GB Panth, and other periphery hospitals.
“Most of the prominent hospitals were inundated and we got huge rush of patients from these hospitals,” he said.
Asked about the expenditure on the makeshift hospital, he said that he will have to look at documents before commenting.
“I am not sure about it. I can’t tell you the exact details,” he said, adding, “The hospital played a good role in reaching out to the flood-hit people and I think we did our job. The Sarai has just been handed over as OPD for H1N1 patients.”
Director SKIMS, Dr Showkat Ali Zargar said they did their “best” to reach of out to the people across Kashmir during floods last year. “I don’t understand why media only sees the bad side of the story. We did a wonderful job during floods but nobody appreciated it and this makeshift hospital was a classic example of it,” he said.