How Srinagar Hospitals are Struggling with Poor Sanitation

Srinagar— It was a routine round of the facility when Medical Superintendent of SMHS hospital Dr. Nazir Chowdary spotted a woman peeing in an open drain outside a paid toilet set up by Srinagar Municipality Corporation. Few minutes later- still disgusted with the sight he had come across- he saw an attendant spitting phlegm inside the corridors of the emergency ward.

With these two images flashing in mind one after the other, Dr. Chowdary went to the man to wake his conscience up.“But why can’t I spit? Is it a mosque?” the man replied sternly. “What morals will you teach to people who have no civic sense? How will you make them understand that their uncivilized conduct puts patients through a lot of distress?” asks Dr. Chowdary. Within the SMHS hospital, the washrooms, like the beds, bear three times the fixed load.

Sanitation of some of the areas of the hospital are outsourced, rest is done by the hospital sanitation staff. The medical superintendent stresses that the hospital resources and man power is not enough to keep toilets up to the mark. He advocates for the privatization of the sanitation and involvement of civil society and private companies who will not only work towards sanitation but also build civic sense among people with their awareness programs.

“Our primary responsibility is healthcare. It is the civil society that needs to bring some civility among people. Thousands of people come and go from this hospital on daily basis. We can’t organize awareness drives here. It is a very dynamic place. What will awareness of one day do? It has to be consistent. It has to happen outside,” said Dr. Chowdary.

The hospital so far has not gotten any money under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Although, a beautification program has been approved by the government of India under the program, only a portion of funds has been kept for the sanitation of the facility.

According to Nursing Superintendent of the hospital, Zamrooda Akhtar there is a dire need of support from government and civil society who can organize drives and awareness programs to inculcate civic sense among people, “our toilets barely last for two months. People steal our taps, soap dispensers and even pipes. There is no sense of belonging,” said Akhtar.

There have been some attempts where civil society, NGO’s and government have together worked for the sanitary health within the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Fazeelat N.Qureshi is a counselor with NHRM who counsels women in valleys lone maternity hospital Lal Ded. “We organize drives in schools and colleges and create awareness about the sanitary health of women. Something however has to be done at a larger level.

These baby steps won’t do much,” said Qureshi. “Just because these things are a taboo talk in our society, the problem is getting from bad to worse. Women will continue to suffer unless they are not provided or made aware of their basic sanitation rights. And that is primarily the job of civil society and NGO’s,” Qureshi added.

Dr. Shahnaz Teing, HoD Gynaecology and Obstetrics Lal Ded Hospital, seconded Qureshi. She said that there is no way that the hospital administration can arrange that much of man power which can cater to the sanitation needs of the hospital. “People leave washrooms in horrific conditions. Rather than cleaning fruitlessly, we should take some concrete steps to inculcate civic sense among people. We should make washrooms paid. There should be monitoring and accountability; only then we can achieve the desired results.”

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