JAMMU, Aug 3: Dr Varinder Sharma, Co-convener, Health Cell, BJP J&K, today voiced serious concern over the recurring conflicts between patients’ attendants and doctors in the emergency wards of GMC Jammu and other hospitals across the Union Territory. He said the root cause of these unfortunate incidents lies not in the conduct of doctors, but in the systemic absence of trained Emergency Specialists in our hospital emergencies.
Dr Sharma explained that in modern healthcare, ordinary CMOs are no longer sufficient to run emergencies of reputed hospitals. Medical emergencies today require Emergency Specialists — MD degree holders with a specialised three-year postgraduate qualification — who are trained to stabilise patients immediately and independently, before shifting them to the concerned department for further treatment. Timely, first-go care, he stressed, is the key to saving lives in emergencies.
Citing the recent Kulgam terror attack, Dr Sharma pointed out how a bullet-injury victim was shuttled from Kulgam to GMC Anantnag and then to SKIMS Srinagar, wasting the crucial “golden hour” that could have saved a life. He said such tragedies underline, once again, the urgent need for Emergency Specialists in every hospital of J&K.
Dr Sharma appealed to the Government of J&K to expedite the appointment of Emergency Medical Specialists in all hospital emergencies, and simultaneously push for the introduction of PG courses in Emergency Medicine at GMCs and SKIMS. He informed that a draft proposal in this regard is already pending before senior authorities in the Health and Medical Education Department, and it is time a final call is taken.
“Within months of deploying Emergency Specialists, the difference will be visible in outcomes. Policies must evolve with time — human lives are far too precious to be lost to administrative delay when a time-tested solution already exists,” Dr Sharma emphasised.