Published On:Tuesday, 21 October 2014
4 months for hospital restoration : Taj
Ground floors under observation
SRINAGAR: As the health care sector has been affected due to the devastating floods, the state government says that all the hospitals will be completely restored in four months that remained inundated in the flood waters.
Minister for Health and Medical Education Taj Mohiuddin said they have arranged all the essential equipment for the hospitals that were damaged in the recent floods.
“It will still take 3 to 4 months to get hospitals fully restored here as we lack equipment. The hospitals have been cleaned of the slush left by the floods and have started functioning,” Taj Mohiuddin told The Kashmir Monitor.
Six main hospitals of Srinagar (SMHS, G B Panth, LD, Bone and Joint, JVC Bemina) remained inundated in floods that hit the State in the month of September, which took a heavy toll on the hospital buildings and sophisticated medical equipment.
The Minister said the premier hospital, SMHS suffered 90 percent damage to its equipment worth Rs 200 crore and other hospitals suffered damage in the range of Rs 50 lakh to 1 crore. He said the restoration of SMHS hospital was the Government’s top priority.
Taj said the essential equipment like x-ray machines, MRI have been arranged and will be made functional very soon. He said in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine, vital magnets have been restored which will work within few days in all hospitals, which were affected by the floods.
However, he said ground floor of all the hospitals have been kept under observation that were hit by the floods. “The micro-cleaning is going on in hospitals. Heads of the departments have been asked to monitor themselves the micro-cleaning process. They will examine their departments themselves and when they are convinced about the cleanliness and bacteria free, they will make wards functional for patients,” he said.
When asked about the number of deaths that took place during the floods in these hospitals, he said, “As per official records no death had taken place in these hospitals during the floods. But my inner said that 5 to 6 deaths had taken place and majority of them at SMHS hospital. Three infants also died at G B Panth hospital as seven were on ventilators during the floods and four were rescued.”
He said oxygen and power supply was essential to keep hospitals functional. “If the oxygen and power supply remain available, a hospital could be run in a boat.”
Replying to a question what measures the Government will take if such floods hit the State, Taj said the Government was creating a mechanism where all the hospitals will remain functional if this magnitude of floods hit again.
“All the essential equipment will be shifted to first floor in all the hospitals. Power and oxygen will be kept on a raised platform in the hospitals where flood waters can’t reach. Government order has already been issued in this regard,” he said.
He said he had identified five years ago when he was the Irrigation and Flood Control Minister that this kind of flood would hit the State. “Now all the equipment will be placed there where the flood water does not reach and hospitals will function normally,” he added.
SRINAGAR: As the health care sector has been affected due to the devastating floods, the state government says that all the hospitals will be completely restored in four months that remained inundated in the flood waters.
Minister for Health and Medical Education Taj Mohiuddin said they have arranged all the essential equipment for the hospitals that were damaged in the recent floods.
“It will still take 3 to 4 months to get hospitals fully restored here as we lack equipment. The hospitals have been cleaned of the slush left by the floods and have started functioning,” Taj Mohiuddin told The Kashmir Monitor.
Six main hospitals of Srinagar (SMHS, G B Panth, LD, Bone and Joint, JVC Bemina) remained inundated in floods that hit the State in the month of September, which took a heavy toll on the hospital buildings and sophisticated medical equipment.
The Minister said the premier hospital, SMHS suffered 90 percent damage to its equipment worth Rs 200 crore and other hospitals suffered damage in the range of Rs 50 lakh to 1 crore. He said the restoration of SMHS hospital was the Government’s top priority.
Taj said the essential equipment like x-ray machines, MRI have been arranged and will be made functional very soon. He said in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine, vital magnets have been restored which will work within few days in all hospitals, which were affected by the floods.
However, he said ground floor of all the hospitals have been kept under observation that were hit by the floods. “The micro-cleaning is going on in hospitals. Heads of the departments have been asked to monitor themselves the micro-cleaning process. They will examine their departments themselves and when they are convinced about the cleanliness and bacteria free, they will make wards functional for patients,” he said.
When asked about the number of deaths that took place during the floods in these hospitals, he said, “As per official records no death had taken place in these hospitals during the floods. But my inner said that 5 to 6 deaths had taken place and majority of them at SMHS hospital. Three infants also died at G B Panth hospital as seven were on ventilators during the floods and four were rescued.”
He said oxygen and power supply was essential to keep hospitals functional. “If the oxygen and power supply remain available, a hospital could be run in a boat.”
Replying to a question what measures the Government will take if such floods hit the State, Taj said the Government was creating a mechanism where all the hospitals will remain functional if this magnitude of floods hit again.
“All the essential equipment will be shifted to first floor in all the hospitals. Power and oxygen will be kept on a raised platform in the hospitals where flood waters can’t reach. Government order has already been issued in this regard,” he said.
He said he had identified five years ago when he was the Irrigation and Flood Control Minister that this kind of flood would hit the State. “Now all the equipment will be placed there where the flood water does not reach and hospitals will function normally,” he added.
