Patient care hit at SKIMS in absence of principal

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 22

The patient care at the SKIMS Medical College and Hospital, Bemina, is suffering as the institute remains headless in violation of the Medical Council of India (MCI) guidelines.

The 400-bedded hospital, which is headed by the principal of its medical college, is crumbling as the government authorities have not appointed a full-time principal so far.

“The patient care is badly hit because we do not have hassle-free drug supply in place. Also, medical equipment required in the hospital are not being procured in the absence of a full-time principal,” said a senior doctor at the hospital.

The Valley’s premier tertiary care hospital, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, had the control of the erstwhile Jhelum Valley Medical College 18 years ago, now SKIMS Medical College and Hospital, Bemina.

Other than changing its name to Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences College, officials said nothing much had been done to improve the patient care.

Even the welfare of students and medical faculty has been ignored by the authorities, they said.

The office of the acting principal, who is the Director of SKIMS, Soura, Dr MK Bandari, is around 15 km from the hospital, creating hurdles in managing its affairs.

However, the authorities at SKIMS, Soura, want to maintain its control over the hospital and medical college. “They want the principal should come from the faculty of SKIMS, Soura, and ignore the faculty of SKIMS, Bemina,” said a senior faculty of the medical college.

He said internal politics had led to a crisis in health care as patients could be seen returning home without getting treated in the Outpatients Department.

“It will take you a whole day to meet the doctor in the OPD. And, then to cater to the rush of patients, the overburdened doctor sends you to get different medical examinations done,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a patient.

Sources said the government was mulling to handover the administrative control of the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences hospital to Medical Education Department to ensure its speedy growth.

Despite spanners put by the SKIMS authorities, a senior official in the Health and Medical Education Department said the government would soon take a decision to appoint a full-time principal at SKIMS Medical College.

The Union Health Ministry had increased the intake capacity of students to 100 but queries raised by a team of the MCI during inspection in 2014 remain unaddressed.

The MCI team had threatened to derecognise the hospital due to lack of adequate faculty and infrastructure to cater to the increasing rush of patients.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Health and Medical Education Asiea Naqash said the government would appoint the full-time Director of SKIMS, Soura, in the next three days.

“Once the Director, SKIMS, is appointed the principal, SKIMS, Bemina, will be appointed immediately,” said the minister.

Commissioner Secretary, Health, MK Bandari has been given the additional charge of the Director, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, after the retirement of former Director Dr Showkat Zargar on June 2.