By Iqbal Meer | Kupwara
Kupwara: For the people of Lolab, reaching Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Sogam no longer guarantees medical care. Once regarded as the lifeline for thousands of residents in upper Lolab, the hospital today stands as a stark symbol of administrative neglect — operating without key specialists and leaving patients helpless in their own valley.
Official data paints a grim picture. SDH Sogam has two sanctioned posts of Consultant Gynecologists, but both remain non-functional. One consultant is currently undergoing DNB training at GMC Anantnag, while the other post has been lying vacant for months. The NHM-sanctioned post of Consultant Gynecologist is also vacant. The only available Medical Officer (MD Gynecology) attends the hospital for just one 24-hour shift and two daytime duties (10 AM to 4 PM) per week — leaving women and expecting mothers with no access to specialist care on most days.
The situation is even more alarming in the Anesthesia Department, where all three sanctioned posts — two regular and one under NHM — are vacant. In the absence of anesthetists, surgeries and emergency procedures are routinely postponed or referred to other hospitals, putting patients at severe risk.
In the General Surgery Department, one of the two sanctioned posts remains vacant, leaving the lone surgeon overburdened and the operation theatre often non-functional.
The Paediatrics Department too faces a complete specialist vacuum. Both sanctioned posts of Consultant Paediatricians are vacant, and the hospital currently relies on a Medical Officer with an MD in Paediatrics, limiting the quality of care available to infants and children.
Residents say the ongoing crisis has pushed the people of Lolab to the edge.
“This hospital was built for us, but it’s turning into an empty building,” said a local resident. “When a woman goes into labour at night, there’s no gynecologist, no anesthetist, and no one to help. We have to rush to Kupwara, Handwara, or even Srinagar. Some patients don’t make it.”
Locals accuse authorities of ignoring Lolab’s plight.
“It’s pure injustice,” said another villager. “We pay taxes like everyone else, but we don’t even get basic healthcare. The government remembers us only during elections or inspection visits — never when our patients are dying.”
Health activists have termed the situation “alarming and unacceptable.” Despite repeated appeals from residents and community representatives, the Health Department has failed to deploy the required specialists or strengthen the hospital’s staff structure.
The people of Lolab have once again urged the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, and the Health & Medical Education Department to fill the vacant posts and restore SDH Sogam’s capacity to serve its population.
