Hospitals heating system set to begin operation before Nov 15

SRINAGAR, NOV 02: Amid a dip in temperatures, authorities are expected to activate heating systems in Kashmir hospitals before November 15. The decreasing temperatures have been causing discomfort for patients and their attendants in these healthcare facilities.
Mohammad Ayoub, a Habak resident, expressed concern over the lack of heating facilities at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, where his mother is admitted. He urged the government to initiate heating arrangements promptly, as patients are enduring the cold.

Farooq Ahmad, an attendant at Super Specialty Hospital Srinagar, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that the heating system has not been activated by the authorities. “This absence of heating arrangements is resulting in patients suffering from cold-related illnesses, including the patient under his care who has caught a cold while in the hospital,” he said.
Another attendant Mushtaq Ahmad said, “My father had fever and chills and no matter how many blankets we wrapped him into, he still shivered through the night. We arranged hot water bottles from the canteen to keep the patient warm.”
An official at LD Hospital Srinagar said newborn babies in the hospital are also facing the threat of catching cold-related diseases.
A senior official said the heating systems in hospitals are scheduled to start before November 15. “The hospital will start the trial run of the heating system. Then after the systems would run full-fledged onwards,” the official said.
He said the trial run would bring up the temperature of the hospital premises to some degrees and patients will have some relief from cold.
A doctor in one of the hospitals said that the cold makes the recovery of patients slower and in some cases worsens the condition of patients.
“It is better to have adequate heating arrangements at the earliest in hospitals, especially during night hours,” the official added.