KRALPORA (J&K) Feb, 10: Taking advantage of the ignorance and illitracy f the inhabitants, the staff at the hospital in this frontier village in Kupwara are using a single disposable syringe for injecting medicines to all the patients.``We sterilise these syrings after one use,'' says Nazir Ahmad a nursing assistant. who was injecting a patient through a used syringe while a few other syringes were kept in the lukewarm water when this reporter visited the Primary Health Center of Kralpora.
``A lady (local name for a nurse) treated me in the hospital, she has been treating me for last two years,'' said Janie, 35 of Rationpora who travels nearly 10 kilometres to reach the health centre, where a junior nurse Hafiza is the only medical help available to the people of the area.
Hafiza said she was treating nearly 15 patients a day on an average. ``There is no need of a doctor, I am treating the patients, My work is same as that of a doctor,'' said a Mohammad Amin, dental assistant.
This is the conditionof a hospital which is supposed to provide health care to 1.30 lakh population of the border block of the Kupwara district. Locals said the block medical officer (bmo) Kralpora is having his private practice right during duty hours in his official residence., ``We are compelled to run to his official residence during duty hours for the treatment as BMO goes to hospital occasionally''alleged Abdul Gani.
When contacted block medical officer Kralpora flatly denied allegations that he is treating the patients in his official residence during duty hours. On lapses in health care he said ``the block has only four doctors out of sanctioned 27, we have only one doctor and a medical assistant in this health center'' said BMO.
However, doctor in the health center is actually posted at Keran, and for the last three years he is on attachment basis at Kralpora. The BMO said there are six new type primary health centers in the block and none has a doctor and patients left with no option but to treated themselves bypharmacists, the BMO adds.
People of the area said the Government has legalised the practice of pharmacists in this far flung area. ``These pharmacists are actually ruining the hospitals, selling the medicines and practising beyond their capacity.The BMO was no in mood to admit the charges of injecting the patients by used syringes.
However, when he called nursing orderly namely Ghlum Nabi posted in first aid room, the paramedic did confess with a convenient excuse that store of the hospital is not providing him the glass syringes.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
