Director SKIMS takes CMs for a ride, invites Mufti to inaugurate projects that Omar already installed
While the patient care to the common patients remain a distant dream at premier Shere-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, it’s incumbent Director, Dr Showkat Ali Zargar, is said to be inviting chief minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed for inaugurating projects which the former chief minister, Omar Abdullah, inaugurated and commissioned in 2013. “Honorable Mufti sahib has been invited by SKIMS director to inaugurate projects which were already been inaugurated by Omar Abdullah during his tenure,” a group of agitated doctors told .
“Director SKIMS has always been in news for ruining SKIMS but unfortunately government never tried to look into deteriorating SKIMS and result is Director has now got nerves to take both present and past CM for ride,” they said.
Doctors and paramedics of the Institute have expressed their dismay over what the director of the Institute was up to. They said the administration despite focusing on providing quality healthcare to the patients across Jammu and Kashmir; the (administration) was turning the institute “political platform.”
“It is still fresh in public memory that SKIMS Sarai and emergency block was inaugurated on 6 Jan 2013 by then CM Omar Abdullah and then as per Director SKIMS previous statement same Sarai was converted to make-shift Hospital last year in floods and now Sarai is again open for one more inauguration,” they said.
The story doesn’t end here, the Director, according to the SKIMS insiders has decided to get the ‘SKIMS Dialysis Unit’ reinaugurated by the current government – a move doctors and paramedics say is to retain his seat.
“SKIMS Dialysis Unit which was inaugurated by Chairman JK Bank on 6 August 2014 and is again open for inauguration by Mufti Sahib and same is the story about other projects,” said the doctors. “We are here to provide the quality healthcare not to breed the politics for petty gains,” they said.
According to some insiders the picture clicked during the earlier inauguration ceremony were still available on the Institute’s website. They alleged that the previous inauguration ceremony stone, in Omar as chief minister was inscribed, has been removed and a new one to be unveiled on October 17 by chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed has been installed.
The doctors alleged that the civil society, ministers, bureaucrats get “best” services at the cost of common patients in the tertiary care hospital.
“Why would raise voice against the malpractices going on in the SKIMS, despite so much of mess,” asked the agitated doctors. “Whenever a patient related to bureaucrat or a minister comes to the hospital from the Director to head of departments everybody remains on toes.” “What happens to the a poor patient or a common man is a pathetic story.”
Senior leader and Chief Spokesperson, National Conference, Aga Syed Rohullah said that the move was a “complete mockery” of the whole system. “Well, how would you explain this? A complete mockery of the system,” he told . “The SKIMS and the current government both are fooling people on the name of the quality healthcare,” he said. He said that the NC will oppose and condemn such moves.
