AIDWA demands restoration of KNH Gynaecology OPD, Seeks access to new Ultrasound machine for all patients
Shimla: The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has intensified its campaign for the restoration of the gynaecology OPD at Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH), alleging that women continue to face severe inconvenience despite the installation of a new ultrasound machine at the hospital.
In a press statement, AIDWA District Secretary Sonia Shabarwal said the organisation had been fighting for the protection of Kamla Nehru Hospital for several years. Recently, it spearheaded a two-month-long agitation against the shifting of the gynaecology OPD to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) and also approached the Himachal Pradesh High Court seeking to save the historic women’s hospital.
She said that while the administration has installed a new ultrasound machine at KNH following sustained public pressure, the facility is presently being used only for women admitted to the hospital wards. Women visiting the gynaecology OPD, which has been shifted to IGMC, are unable to benefit from the new machine.
According to the association, pregnant women and those suffering from gynaecological ailments are forced to shuttle between IGMC and Kamla Nehru Hospital during treatment. If an ultrasound is advised by doctors at the IGMC OPD, patients either have to return to IGMC for the test or visit private diagnostic centres because the old ultrasound machine at KNH, which is being used for OPD patients, has limited capacity and can perform only around 40 examinations a day.
AIDWA alleged that the arrangement has imposed unnecessary mental, physical and financial hardship on women, many of whom are compelled to hire private taxis to travel repeatedly between the two hospitals.
The organisation demanded that the government immediately restore the gynaecology OPD to Kamla Nehru Hospital and make the newly installed ultrasound machine available to all women patients, including those attending the OPD, so that pregnant women and others requiring specialised care can receive treatment at one place without unnecessary inconvenience.
District Treasurer Rama Rawat also endorsed the demands and urged the state government to address the issue without further delay.
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