Sajid Raina
Bandipora, Jan 21: A-75-year- elderly patient was airlifted from snowbound Tulail area of Gurez to Bandipora for immediate medical aid.
An official told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that a patient identified as Gulam Nabi Khan son of Gulam Mohammad Khan a resident of Rulail area of Tulail, requiring urgent medical treatment, was evacuated from Neeru, Tulail, through special helicopter sortie.
Noteworthy, many medical evacuations were also facilitated by the administration wherein few pregnant women and a critically-injured girl was flown to Bandipora and later referred to Srinagar for advanced treatment.
According to officials over 415 passengers have flown in and out of Gurez this winter season including emergency medical evacuations since November.
Pertinently, the snow-clad Gurez Valley remains cut off from the rest of the world during winters owing to heavy snowfall in the valley.
Meanwhile, the locals have complained about healthcare facilities in the valley, particularly a shortage of staff.
Details available with KNO revealed that Gurez has 22 NHM staff members among which only 10 are available.
“We have to travel to Bandipora or Srinagar even for minor ailments as the average staff posted here are absent from their duties for last few months, ” Aqib Ahmad a local resident said, while dozens of other patients have a similar story to tell.
Locals said that the poor healthcare facilities in the area are forcing them to rely on health facilities elsewhere and pay a huge amount of fair in order to airlift a patient to Bandipora.
People of the area have demanded the development of infrastructure and posting of adequate staff in the health centre so that patients are spared from further sufferings.
Block Medical Officer Gurez, Dr Tahira, said that the shortage of staff will end here in a few days as more employees are coming to rejoin their duty who were earlier placed on Covid duty in Bandipora—(KNO)
