Tauseef Ahmad
Bandipora, Feb. 08: An ultrasonography (USG) and X-ray machine has been lying defunct at the New Type Primary Health Center (NTPHC) in Ashtangoo, North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, for the past several months, putting the lives of many patients in the area at grave risk.
Speaking with the Kashmir Despatch correspondent, one of the local resident, Aijaz Ahmad, said that the USG and X-ray machine had been lying defunct for the past several months, forcing patients to visit other private clinics.
Locals of the area said that the NTPHC caters to the patient care needs of around 20,000 people from different villages in the area.
The lone X-ray and USG machine at the hospital, lying dysfunctional for months now, has raised a lot of questions about the overall medical-care facilities in the region, while the locals claim that “despite several indications, the authorities are yet to respond.”
“With no other USG X-ray machine available in NTPHC, the patients, especially pregnant women, are facing a lot of hardships and have to visit district hospital Bandipora, which is around 12 km away from the area,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, one of the attendant of the patient.
Another attendant questioned what is the fun of having defunct machines in hospital which is of no use.
“We belong to the labour class; paying a huge amount for undergoing X-rays and USG at a private clinic is too much for us,” he said.
Doctors posting in NTPHC said that the machine was beyond repair. “We even brought engineers in to fix it, but it is beyond repair,” he said.
Meanwhile, the said correspondent tried to reach Block Medical Officer Bandipora, but he couldn’t be reached after several calls from the said reporter.
