Despite multiple efforts from the authorities, tertiary hospitals in Srinagar continue to be overburdened with patients who can be treated at primary health centres.
Doctors working at tertiary hospitals in Srinagar told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that there is a surge in patients as people directly reach tertiary hospitals instead of following a procedure of going to primary health centre or sub-district hospital.
A senior doctor at GMC Srinagar told KNO that with almost everyone in Kashmir having their own vehicle, patients rush to tertiary care hospitals for treatment. According to him, the majority of these patients can be easily managed at a PHC, SDH or district hospital.
He said that it puts pressure on infrastructure as well as manpower and often delays treatment to patients in need.
Another doctor from GMC Srinagar said that whenever they ask them about referral slips, they say they came on their own.
“The need of the hour is to develop more infrastructure and deploy more doctors at peripheral health institutions so that it can develop trust among patients so that they can prefer treatment for minor ailments there,” he said.
Meanwhile, an official at SMHS Hospital Srinagar said that over 82,000 new patients were seen in OPDs in July 2022. He said that with revisits ranging around 40% (35-45%), the OPD footfall reaches over 1.20 lakh in a month.
Among new patients, around 33 thousand patients visited General Medicine OPD and 17,600 attended General Surgery, around 11500 patients had consultation in ENT OPD while over 11000 new patients consulted the dermatology department, 3400 patients attended Ophthalmology OPD and rest visited Oncology, Pain Clinic, SPM Clinics (Anti Rabies, Under Fives and UPHC)—(KNO)