Shopian: The female medical and paramedical staff working at District Hospital Shopian Saturday said that they feel unsafe during their night shifts in absence of any male staff member or adequate security arrangements.
While the female staff operates from an old hospital building housing a gynecology ward, labour room and a staff room, the male staff has been functioning from the new building.
As the distance between the two buildings is over 200 meters, the women doctors and nurses during their night shifts feel insecure.
“We do not feel safe at all. Recently, during a night shift, we found our lockers in the staff room damaged,” said a female doctor, who did not wish to be quoted by name.
She said when the wards operating from an old building were shifted to a new building, female staff was left alone in the old building.
Another doctor complained that drug addicts would loiter around in the hospital premises till late in the night, making them feel insecure.
“It is bizarre that the hospital administration has never taken note of it,” she said.
The doctor said that the washrooms in the building were without water and the on-duty staffers have to purchase bottled water from the market during their night shift.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ramesh Kumar said that two private security guards were deployed at the new hospital building for the security of female staff.
However, the staff has insisted on shifting the facilities to the new ward.
