Referrals from rural hospitals to top referral hospitals of Srinagar City are not as surprising as are the increasing referrals from several top referral hospitals of Srinagar City to SKIMS Soura the biggest referral hospital of the summer capital. While the reason for increasing referrals from rural hospitals to top referral hospitals of Srinagar city could be obviously deficiency of doctors and lack of key infrastructural facilities in rural hospitals, the reasons for referrals from several city hospitals to SKIMS Soura remain unexplained for decades together. Apparently the Principal Government Medical College Srinagar controlling Associated Hospitals of Srinagar the Summer Capital and Director Health Services Kashmir controlling top referral hospitals like JLNM Hospital Rainawari owe explanations to people for their inability to reduce the growing stress of increasing referrals from top City hospitals to SKIMS Soura which would consequently reduce the avoidable burden on doctors at SKIMS Soura. Unless and Until the Principal Government Medical College Srinagar and Director Health Services Kashmir do not come out with explanations over their inability to reduce increasing referrals from the referral hospitals of Srinagar City controlled by them to SKMIS Soura, the delivery of critical health services at top referral hospitals barring SKIMS and functioning of health facilities in towns and villages cannot be improved. Since neither the Principal Government Medical College Srinagar nor the Director Health Services Kashmir take bother to explain their inability to reduce the growing stress of increasing referrals from city’s top hospitals to SKIMS Soura, it is for the Government to seek explanations from both the Principal Medical College Srinagar and as well as Director Health Services Kashmir on this count.
Not words but focus on a time bound action plan for improving the delivery of health services in city hospitals would reduced the growing stress of increasing referral from Srinagar City’s top referral hospitals to SKIMS Soura.
The explanations once sought won’t only necessitate the conduct of an audit over the working of the top referral hospitals controlled by both Principal Medical College Srinagar and as well as Director Health Services Kashmir in Srinagar city but such an exercise would also bring to light the deficiencies in the availability of infrastructural facilities required for delivery of critical health services at city’s all referral hospitals barring SKIMS Soura. Such an initiative won’t only improve the working of all the referral hospitals in Srinagar city like SKIMS Soura but it would also improve the working of hospitals even in towns and rural areas of Kashmir Valley. Not words but focus on a time bound action plan for improving the delivery of health services in city hospitals would reduced the growing stress of increasing referral from Srinagar City’s top referral hospitals to SKIMS Soura.
