Volunteers run Operation Theatre in District Hospital Pulwama

SRINAGAR — The administration of District Hospital in Pulwama has made a bizarre arrangement by posting volunteers and non-technical staff in Operation Theatre while technical hands have been placed in casualties and other wards, risking patients.

According to news agency Kashmir Dot Com, the hospital has six anaesthetist assistants who have qualification and training in their respective areas but the administration has placed volunteers and Multiple-Purpose Health Workers (MPHW) in the theatre.

Doctors say that placing volunteers and MPHW in OT is dangerous for patient care, and it also makes surgeons’ work difficult.

Six anesthetist assistants posted in the hospital include Mudasir Lone, Ulfat Jan, Rameez Ahmad, Faheem Farhat, Firdous Ahmad, Asif Ahmad Dar and Saifudin Muzaffaf, and none of them is posted in the Operation Theatre.

Shockingly, the hospital administration has placed them in the Casualty, Emergency Room and other sections and in OTs, volunteers, HDF and FMPHW workers are deployed.

Officials in the hospital said that the roaster is prepared by the doctors who are assigned the work by the Medical Superintendent.

“The doctor, who is assigned to prepare the roaster, places employees at his choice and in nexus with the volunteers and FMPHW because they fleece patients in OT in the name of Chai,” doctors in the hospital said.

Several doctors said that the hospital needs intervention from Directorate level to remove the nepotism and mismanagement in the roster. “Patient care should be the priority but in the hospital, it is nepotism and groupism which hits the patient care,” they said.

Medical Superintendent DH Pulwama, Dr D S Tulla told Kashmir Dot Com that we have placed employees as per rotation in different wards and places. Volunteers may be there for sweeping or for assistance, he added.