Sopore, May 18 (KNO): Patients at Sub District Hospital (SDH) Sopore on Monday faced immense inconvenience after the lone functional X-Ray machine developed repeated technical snags, forcing many, including emergency cases, to return without undergoing diagnostic tests.
Several attendants and patients told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that they had been waiting for hours in long queues when the machine stopped functioning multiple times during the day.
According to the patients, hospital authorities later informed them that the machine could not be restored immediately and advised them to collect refunds and get the X-Ray tests conducted at private diagnostic centres.
Many patients expressed concern over the situation, saying the breakdown caused serious inconvenience, especially to elderly patients and those requiring urgent medical attention.
“We waited for hours but were eventually told to go outside for private tests. Some patients were in pain and needed immediate X-Rays,” an attendant said.
Officials said the hospital was already functioning with only one operational X-Ray machine, as the digital X-Ray unit had been out of service for the last several days after developing a technical fault.
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Sopore, Dr Zulfiqar acknowledged the issue, saying the machine had developed a snag during functioning.
He said a technician has been called to rectify the fault, and the machine is expected to be restored either by evening or by Tuesday morning.
The incident has once again brought attention to the healthcare infrastructure at SDH Sopore, one of the major referral hospitals in north Kashmir.
This Sub District Hospital Sopore caters to a vast population from Sopore town and dozens of surrounding villages in Baramulla district. Patients from Rafiabad, Zaingeer and nearby areas also rely heavily on the hospital for emergency and diagnostic services due to its strategic location and high patient inflow. The hospital witnesses hundreds of patients daily and remains under pressure due to limited infrastructure and manpower—(KNO)