Patients suffer as Tral hospital reels under shortage of specialists
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, residents of Tral in south Kashmir have expressed concern over the shortage of specialist doctors and inadequate healthcare infrastructure at Sub-District Hospital (SDH) in the town. They complained that that patients are being forced to seek treatment at private hospitals or travel to Srinagar.
Residents said the hospital lacks specialist doctors and adequate medical facilities to cater to the healthcare needs of the local population. They said the shortage is particularly affecting economically weaker families, who struggle to afford treatment outside the area.
Javed Ahmad, a resident of Gujjar Basti in Tral, said financially disadvantaged patients cannot afford the high cost of treatment at private hospitals, while travelling to Srinagar for consultations and specialised care is also difficult for many families.
“We cannot afford treatment at private hospitals. We are also unable to travel to Srinagar due to extreme poverty. We request the government to make specialist doctors available at Sub-District Hospital Tral,” Ahmad said.
Residents said the hospital lacks specialists, including an orthopaedic doctor and a radiologist, causing inconvenience to patients requiring specialised consultations and diagnostic services. They said the absence of these specialists often compels patients to seek medical attention elsewhere. They also raised concerns over the hospital’s bed capacity, which they put at around 30, and called for an immediate expansion of the facility to meet the growing healthcare needs.
“The current bed capacity of the hospital is around 30, and it needs to be upgraded immediately,” residents said. They appealed to the authorities to take immediate steps to strengthen healthcare facilities at SDH Tral.
