Change in timing hits critical care services at SSH Srinagar

Srinagar, Aug 25: A government order issued in April this year to change the timing of doctors and paramedical staff at the Super Speciality Hospital (SSH) in Srinagar has badly impacted patient care with critical medical services remaining non-available here after the afternoon hours on Saturdays.Due to the order to change the timing of doctors from 9 am to 5 pm instead of the routine 10 to 4:30, Saturday remains only a half day at the hospital as a result of which medical services even in the critical cardiac care section are getting badly impacted.Earlier authorities in an order said that the working hours of doctors in GMC Srinagar will be from 9 am till 5 pm and on Saturday the working time will remain from 9 am to 1:30 pm while there will be a lunch break of half an hour from 1.30 pm to 2 pm. The new timings are operational at SMHS Hospital, Bone and Joint Hospital, Chest Disease Hospital, Super Specialty and Lal Ded Hospital, the order said.According to sources only the Resident doctors who remain on the late night shift work at the hospital from late in the afternoon on Saturdays which has badly impacted the services at the hospital. Several doctors said that on a normal day, the patients are unable to come to the hospital by 9 am and the actual work even in OPDs starts at an earlier time of 10 am.The critical medical services including in the cardiac care speciality like the angiography are conducted on the working days only and remain affected in the afternoon hours on Saturday which have also raised serious questions on the effective functioning of the hospital. The patients heavily rely on medical attention at the SSH with some facilities like the CT coronary angiography only available at the hospital in Kashmir.With key services remaining non-functional at the hospital on Saturdays due to the order, patients prefer to undergo critical procedures particularly related to cardiac care at private hospitals at a significantly higher rate.