HC Directs DC Kupwara to ensure better healthcare for residents
Srinagar, Apr 30 (KNS): The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Wednesday asked the authorities in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district to ensure medical facilities to all, particularly to border residents who are subjected to hardships amid this pandemic for want of medical facilities.
The High Court has directed deputy commissioner Kupwara to ensure that a system be devised and efforts are made to ensure problems faced by people of Kupwara are resolved.
In response to PIL, director health services Kashmir has informed the High Court that services of sub-district hospital (SDH) Kupwara have been shut down under the directions of higher authorities which has been designated as an isolation hospital to manage the COVID-19 positive cases and its premises have been declared as red zone to avoid inward and outward movement in order to control the spread of the virus.
“To address the hardships faced by people and for making patient care facility available to them the district administration has taken over two private nursing homes, ESS BEE nursing home and Quality care nursing home, where dialysis is also being conducted, OPD/IPD is also run in these nursing homes,” it said in the response.
It said in addition district hospital Handwara, sub-district hospital Sogam and sub-district hospital Kralproa have also been equipped with all requisite facilities to meet the healthcare/medical facilities of the patient at crucial stage.
However, the High Court on submission of Advocate Mir Mansoor, about two recent incidents that a man from Tangdhar took his wife on shoulders for medical treatment and a man from Machil walked around 40 Kilometers by foot to get medicines for his ailing son, has directed the deputy Commissioner Kupwara to ensure that a system be devised and efforts are made to ensure even such problems of people of Kupwara are resolved.
Pertinently, a PIL was field in J&K HC by an advocate Mir Mansoor, after the authorities announced the closure of SDH Kupwara and thereafter the reports of lack of medical facilities in district for non-covid patients.
He also raised the issue of non-availability of PPE kits for the staff posted at SDH Kupwara(KNS)
