SRINAGAR: As the month-long fiasco between the state government and authorities at Government Medical College (GMC) in Srinagar over appointment for key positions in several city hospitals has ended up, a pregnant woman died in a Srinagar hospital on Saturday promulgating speculations regarding lobbyism and favoritism in the health sector in Kashmir valley.
The agitated relatives of the woman ransacked the hospital and beat up the medical and the paramedical staff there. This was the second such case wherein a pregnant woman had died in a hospital after the doctors on duty had failed to attend her properly.
Shockingly, the pregnant woman was attended by a dermatologist rather than a gynaecologist at the Sub District Hospital, Bijbehara. She died on way to a hospital after she developed complications following the delivery of a dead baby.
The latest battle in the hospital administration has further intensified now that the government has appointed noted paediatrician Dr Kaisar Ahmad as new GMC Principal a day after Dr Rafiq Pampori submitted a letter Friday requesting to go on a protest leave and seek voluntary retirement from his services ending February 2018.
Responding to the request, State Health Minister Choudhary Lal Singh said the government will accept Pamporis retirement. If he wants to go, we have no problem and we will find a better deserving candidate to head the GMC institutes, Singh said while taking a jibe at the GMC principal.
Health Minster was interfering in Pamporis work
Pampori resigned alleging the government has failed to restore the dignity of the post of Principal and claimed too much of interference by the health minister in the affairs of GMC and its associated hospitals.
The minister was not allowing the Principal to work smoothly. He was trying to influence the decision making in the hospital administration, a doctor at GMC, wishing anonymity, said.
According to several other reports, the minister and the principal had developed differences on several issues including the posting of hospital administrators and Medical superintendents in various affiliated hospitals despite objections from the GMC Principal.
The doctor also accused that the GMC hospitals which include Chest Disease Hospital, Psychiatry Hospital, GB Pant, Bones and Joints are suffering due to direct interference from the minister.
Several Civil Society members expressed shock over the decision taken by Dr Pampori for voluntary retirement from his service.
Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK), however, accused Principal GMC Srinagar of issuing misleading statements to cover up his wrongdoings and misdeeds.
Dr Pampori is confusing people so that he evades commissions and enquiries for deteriorating GMC and associated hospitals, President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan said. The DAK also accused the GMC Principal of lobbyism and infighting among employees.
Earlier, Dr Pampori drew flak from various health officials after he was given one year extension after his superannuation in February last year, but he continued to hold the charge with further extensions.
Interestingly, DAK is also suffering from an in-house chaos with Dr G.M. Mir heading the rival faction which supports the replaced Principal calling him a man of integrity.
Dr Pampori has done a wonderful job as Principle Medical College and the college has progressed leaps and bounds during his tenure, this faction of the DAK said in a press statement. His tenure has been corruption and scam free.
It said, there are certain stooges of higher ups who for their vested interests are trying to defame a person of repute like Dr Pampori.
One thing is for sure: in the tussle among many different stakeholders in the Health Department, its the healthcare that ultimately is at the receiving end. The news emanating from various hospitalsrural and citypaints a dismal picture of the healthcare scenario in Kashmir.
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