With growing population, issues related to women’s health in Kashmir are widening by the day. In Kashmir, Lal Ded Hospital has been the flag bearer of health care issues related to women’s health over decades. Being the only tertiary care centre related to women’s health, it has been subjected to intense public scrutiny for right reasons. Women’s health is a sensitive issue; hence public scrutiny is to be expected, so too it’s reflection in media. However any scrutiny needs to focus on all issues involved, including the difficulties and problems faced by care givers. Quite often it is seen that the medical professionals involved with women’s health care do not get a fair deal, which is a constant refrain in any interaction with care givers.
In medical science, health care of women generally assumes a greater significance, as issues involved are beyond the common problems that relate to both genders. Disorders of female genital tract (sexual organs) remain a wider concern as these organs bear the brunt of reproductive process. Hence, these organs are subject to greater physical stress, consequently prone to disease processes of various types. Disorders of female genital tract fall in the medical discipline known as gynaecology. The discipline faces neglect, which is often not deliberate, but the result of overwhelming obstetric care.
The medical discipline dealing with women’s care is a twin concern—genecology and obstetrics. Obstetric care being such a common phenomenon affects gynaecological care, and it is not easy to keep the balance. Lal Ded Hospital has been facing it ever since its inception, as much energy and time of care givers is consumed by obstetric care. Statistical study of work done in Lal Ded Hospital makes the issues involved apparent. The statistical study should catch the attention of health planners. Of late, compelled by the pace of events in women’s health care, certain steps have been taken, much more needs to be done.
One of the main concerns remains growing incidence of malignancies (cancers) related to female genital tract, such as cervical (birth canal) cancers, as also the ovarian and uterine cancers. As already related, female genital tract remains stressed, as such prone to various disorders like erosions, tumours—benign and malignant and cysts. Adequate care needs to be taken to address these issues. It is imperative thus that in the investigative field of cancer detection and its treatment, tertiary care unit, such as Lal Ded Hospital should be equipped in the oncological (cancer care) discipline.
Another issue of major concern is infertility. There are scores of infertile couples, spending huge amounts on investigative procedures and treatment outside the state. Infertility is a concern, which has so far received scant attention of health planners, while as the issue remains the focus of researchers globally. New techniques are in the offing, and care givers in valley’s lone tertiary care centre related to women’s health need to remain abreast of latest advances in the field.
It is a note of much consolation that a new bloc is coming up in Lal Ded Hospital to address issues related to oncology and infertility. These issues have been flagged by the administration in Lal Ded Hospital, an associate of associated hospitals under care of GMC Srinagar and met with adequate responses. The old blood bank bloc presently housing the administrative wing has been declared as unsafe, hence it is to be demolished to make way for 18,000 square feet G+5 (ground floor plus 5 storeys) structure. Forty four crore project is World Bank funded; hence no paucity of funds may be expected in its execution by JKPCC.
As and when the new bloc comes up, it would represent what could be demanded of tertiary care in women’s health. Adequate running of tertiary care unit would depend on developing a health care culture, wherein primary and secondary care centres take a greater load of obstetric care, leaving the tertiary care centre with room enough to concentrate on gynaecological care and to deal with complicated obstetric cases.
A look at the statistics of Lal Ded in the year 2015-16 hospitals shows high number of normal deliveries being conducted to the tune of 10,990 cases which is about a 30 a day. During the same year, 15, 570 caesarean sections have been performed, about 40 a day. This is an added strain on tertiary care centre, which should otherwise be shared to a large extent by primary and secondary health care centres.
In the year 2015-16 Lad Ded statistics show a total of 1, 94, 673 of outdoor cases, 39,279 in-patient (admitted) cases, with a total of 19,933 surgeries performed. There is a mortality report of just 1.1 percent, just 30 cases lost. The low mortality rate should do credit to work performance, given that Lal Ded Hospital is a tertiary care centre with loads of complicated cases.
