Unhygienic washrooms pose threat to patients at Super-Specialty hospital Srinagar

Kashmir Age Report

Srinagar, Feb 28: Despite tall claims of the government to improve the health sector in the Kashmir valley, patients visiting, Super Specialty Hospital (SSH) of summer capital — Srinagar, here are complaining of poor hygienic conditions in the hospital.

Scores of patients at the much hyped SSH, said the hygienic condition of the hospital especially the washrooms are really poor. They said they were at high risk of infection due to poor hygiene in the hospital.

Kashmir’s only Super Specialty Hospital (SSH) in Srinagar is facing various issues including the lack of adequate washroom facility.

The SSH located at Shireen Bagh, runs under the administrative control of Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar is catering to hundreds of patients on a daily basis.

Managing huge rush of patients accompanied by attendants, the hospital lacks proper washrooms, resulting in inconvenience for attendants and patients as well. The problem is severe of patients in Out-Patient department (OPD).

Many attendants complained that, there are washrooms inside wards but in bad condition. “There is an every risk of catching diseases as the toilet spot emanates foul smell and breeds insects and worms,” said an elderly woman. She also complained about the poor sanitation of toilets present inside the emergency wards.

Shahbaz Ahmad Najar, a patient at the hospital said: “There is poor sanitation in the hospital and foul smell emanates from the washrooms. The administration should look into the issue as soon as possible.”

An attendant Abdul Samad said: “There is a huge rush of patients and attendants in surgical wards. Just 3-4 washrooms for around hundred people present in the ward are very little and that too during these winters,” said Samad, who was accompanying his ailing mother in the hospital for last five days.

Another attendant Wazeera Begum of Pulwama, said: “There is lack of sanitation in the hospital especially the wards and foul smell comes out of the washrooms. We have to use masks inside the institute and authorities have failed to look into the issue.”

He alleged that the toilets are littered and are not cleaned for days. There is bad smell emanating from every nook and corner of the washrooms.

“Such situation can cause serious infection to the patients with open wounds,” she said adding that in Post Operative Wards, the toilets are blocked with filth causing immense inconvenience to the patients and their attendants.

A sanitation worker at the institute wishing not to be named said: “We clean the washrooms frequently but due to huge rush of patients, their attendants and visitors to the hospital it becomes difficult to maintain it all the time.”

Another patient Quanser Jan of Batamaloo said the toilets in the post-operative wards are so dirty that it is impossible to enter it. “The commodes here are broken. What’s left of it is so filthy that one cannot venture near. The walls are dirty with people spitting on it. The place does not seem to have been cleaned in days,” he added.

An official while speaking to Kashmir Age agreed that the matter is of serious concern. “We are looking forward to construct more toilets very soon.”

Regarding the bad condition of existing washrooms he replied the matter will be resolved very soon.