The recent renaming of PHC Villagam as Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Villagam is a welcome development, but it also raises an important question: What is the value of upgrading a hospital’s designation if essential medicines and basic healthcare facilities are not readily available?Recently, at around 8:30 PM, I visited the hospital with my mother, who was feeling unwell. After examining her, the doctor on duty prescribed some routinely used injections in emergency care. However, to my surprise, none of these injections was available through the hospital’s medicine supply, forcing me to purchase all three from outside.

As a paramedic intern at GMC Srinagar, I find this situation concerning. During my experience at SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, I have observed the........

© Greater Kashmir