Srinagar, Jul 24 (KNO): In the remote hilly region of Bani in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, the Sub-District Hospital (SDH), a key medical lifeline for over 60,000 people, is operating under severe constraints due to a glaring shortage of doctors and essential medical staff.
As per the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), established four decades ago, SDH Bani has witnessed little to no staff augmentation, leaving the healthcare facility in a near-crisis state.
As per official records, five specialist positions including Surgeon, Gynaecologist, Paediatrician, Anaesthetist, and Physician are sanctioned, but only the Physician’s post is currently filled. The rest remain vacant, pushing the hospital’s already stretched resources to the brink.
The situation is no better in the general medical staff. Out of 12 sanctioned Medical Officer Posts, only four are currently serving, leaving eight crucial positions unoccupied.
“The worst impact is on maternal health services. There’s no gynaecologist here, and women, even in labour, are forced to travel over 150 kilometers to reach District Hospital Kathua or over 230 kilometers to GMC Jammu,” said a local resident. “Some have died en route. Is this the healthcare system we were promised?”
Despite an average daily OPD turnout of more than 100 patients, the limited staff is left to manage the burden without adequate support or infrastructure. Health workers at the facility are overworked and demoralized, while patients, many from low-income families, continue to suffer.
Emergency situations further expose the fragile system. With no specialists and minimal diagnostic equipment, the critical patients are often referred to distant tertiary care hospitals, causing delays that sometimes turn fatal.
Locals said that they have repeatedly appealed to authorities, but with little success. While officials say the matter has been brought to the notice of higher-ups and hope that vacant posts will be filled “soon,” people on the ground say mere assurances are no longer enough.
“There is a desperate need for an Orthopaedic Surgeon, ENT specialist, and Radiologist, given the accident-prone nature of our terrain,” said another resident. “A CT scan machine is also a basic necessity now, not a luxury.”
Bani’s residents are calling on the government and the health department to stop treating rural health like an afterthought. They are demanding immediate action to fill vacant posts, create new ones tailored to the region’s needs, and upgrade the hospital’s diagnostic infrastructure.
They said that apart from SDH Bani, there is a similar situation of staff at PHC Dhaggar, PHC Koti Chandyar, NTPHC Sandroon, NTPHC Lowang and NTPHC Dullangal—(KNO)