Srinagar, Apr 01 (KNO): Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Bandipora, Nizamuddin Bhat, on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, alleging that the District Hospital Bandipora is in a state of neglect due to acute shortage of manpower and lack of critical care services.
Raising the issue in the House, Bhat, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the hospital lacks essential specialists and administrative staff, putting lives at risk. “I am not raising this in the absence of the government. The Health Minister has shown concern, but the hospital is in a very bad condition,” he said.
The MLA alleged that key units, including the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), are non-functional despite the availability of equipment worth crores. “The ICU is closed because there is no human resource to operate it. There is not a single person available,” he said.
Bhat further said that critical care services have been severely hit, with no cardiologist posted at the hospital after transfers made over a year ago. “Patients with heart attacks or brain haemorrhage have nowhere to go. There is no cardiologist, no surgeon and no functional emergency response for critical cases,” he added.
He also flagged shortages in the gynaecology and anaesthesia departments and said even diagnostic services have been affected due to lack of staff. “There is infrastructure, but human resources are zero. The quality of patient care is very low,” Bhat said, adding that the hospital is virtually non-functional for critical patients.
The MLA demanded immediate inspection of the hospital and urgent deployment of specialists, including surgeons, anaesthesiologists, and gynaecologists. He criticised the absence of proper administrative leadership at the facility, claiming that key posts remain vacant.
Nizamuddin said he had previously raised the issue through questions, resolutions, and calling attention notices, but received no response, forcing him to move an adjournment motion. “When even that was rejected, I had no option but to walk out,” he said, terming the response as “unacceptable” on a matter of public importance.
While acknowledging the efforts of the Health Minister, the MLA said the administration at the ground level was failing to address the crisis. “This is a serious public issue. People’s lives are at risk and it needs immediate intervention,” he added—(KNO)