Pulwama, July 27: In a surprise visit to District Hospital Pulwama, Health Minister Sakina Itoo expressed shock after finding only 4 out of 40 doctors present on duty. “This is unacceptable. Even if it’s Sunday, patients are coming in large numbers,” she said.
Terming the situation “deeply alarming,” Itoo said a major reshuffle of doctors across Jammu and Kashmir is inevitable to fix systemic issues in healthcare. She also raised concerns over unhygienic conditions in the hospital, stating that the stench was unbearable and that “even a healthy person could fall sick here.”
The Minister, under Omar Abdullah’s government, has vowed zero compromise on patient care and announced that doctors posted at the same place for more than 3–4 years will be shifted. Her visit comes in the wake of rising public anger over the SMHS strike and deteriorating healthcare delivery in the Valley.
