J&K: Shortage of doctors add to patients' woes in Samba

Samba (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 25 (ANI): A hospital in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba reeks of lack of medical facilities, with just three doctors in its emergency department.
The government-run District Hospital in the India-Pakistan border district of Samba, where ceasefire violation is quite common, injuring soldiers and civilians, has a shortage of medical practitioners.
Authorities are well aware of the problem.
"We have only three doctors at present in the casualty department. It is difficult to run the department 24 x 7 with three medicos. Yes, we are facing a lot of problems," Dr Anju Kumari, Deputy Medical Superintendent, told ANI.
Administration, however, has a way out to combat the problem by referring the critical patients to Jammu hospitals.
"Whenever a patient comes here in critical condition, doctors here refer them to Jammu. They do not have even basic facility such as a CT Scan. I regularly come here because my father is ill. There are no doctors in the hospital today also. Doctors, who have got transfers, have gone but no new doctors have come to replace them," said Sandeep Sambyal, a local.
"My son has been ill for the past ten days. A general physician is not available today. He has gone on a holiday. I do not know what to do," laments Rajni Devi, a resident.
Samba, which is situated on the banks of River Basantar, was given the status of the district in 2007, but even after 12 years, a robust medical system with good practitioners is not in sight. Every department of the hospital has only one specialist attending to hundreds of patients every day. (ANI)