“The bed sharing ratio of 1: 3 is noticed not only in the maternity wards of the district and sub district hospitals but also in general observatory wards of such hospitals across Jammu & Kashmir.”
Infrastructure at Government hospitals may have improved due to increasing focus on infrastructure development at Government hospitals in recent years in Jammu & Kashmir but unfortunately patient care facilities have not received the attention they deserved and one such patient care facility not getting the desired attention of the Government is the bed capacity at Government hospitals. Unfortunately bed capacity at Government hospitals is still far below than the rising bed occupancy demand. In fact the higher bed occupancy demand is forcing patients to share beds in the general observatory wards of even major referral hospitals not to talk of the district and sub district hospitals both in Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. Unfortunately the bed sharing ratio of 1: 3 in maternity wards frequently forces even the district hospitals to deny admissions to most of the women in the critical phases of pregnancy period. The bed sharing ratio of 1: 3 is noticed not only in the maternity wards of the district and sub district hospitals but also in general observatory wards of such hospitals across Jammu & Kashmir. While the unprecedented rise in the bed occupancy trends necessitates immediate call on increasing the bed capacity equally at both the referral hospitals in the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and as well as district and sub district hospitals across Jammu & Kashmir, the health and medical department does not bother to even review the growing demand for increasing the bed capacity at Government hospitals both in Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division.
“The growing demand for increasing the bed capacity at Government hospitals in fact underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms and increased investment in the patient care facilities at Government hospitals equally in Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. Increasing public concerns about patient care facilities particularly the bed capacity at Government hospitals deserves and demands immediate attention and intervention of the health & medical education department for furtherance of the causes of equitable and quality healthcare services at Government hospitals across Jammu & Kashmir.”
Since higher bed occupancy is also a cause for denying patients admissions in critical conditions at Government hospitals, allegations are galore that patients denied admissions due to shortage of beds in the general observatory wards even die before reaching any private hospital for immediate treatment. Administrative wisdom as such demands that administrative secretary of health & medical education department immediately takes stock of the rising bed occupancy trends and bed sharing crisis for the purposes of the raising the bed capacity at Government hospitals across Jammu & Kashmir. The growing demand for increasing the bed capacity at Government hospitals in fact underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms and increased investment in the patient care facilities at Government hospitals equally in Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. Increasing public concerns about patient care facilities particularly the bed capacity at Government hospitals deserves and demands immediate attention and intervention of the health & medical education department for furtherance of the causes of equitable and quality healthcare services at Government hospitals across Jammu & Kashmir.
