2005 quake: Poonch hospital cries for govt attention
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Poonch, October 8
It is two years since an earthquake struck this part of the state on October 8, 2005, resulting in large-scale causalties and damage to property, but as the area prepares to observe second anniversary of the quake, very little has been done to replace what was lost in the quake.

People in this border district of the state blame government's inefficiency to repair the government structures damaged in the quake.

District hospital here bore the brunt of the earthquake in which a major portion of the hospital, including building housing wards, out-patient department (OPD) building and X-ray machine building, got damaged, but despite the promise of early repair of the building, the government has failed to execute major conservation and instead have made cosmetic repairs.

"There is always a risk associated with the patients admitted to this hospital here. Given the cosmetic repairs made in various buildings of the hospital, in case a mild earthquake hits the area again, these buildings can collapse causing loss of human lives", said Aejaz Kazmi, a resident.

Sources said at present patients were housed in the building having all eight wards, including paediatrics, gynaecology, orthopaedic and surgery wards. This building had suffered severe damage in the earthquake two years ago and can fall in case of minor tremors, so it was quite huge risk to house the patients in this building, the sources added. Besides the OPD building has also suffered severe damage and may be unsafe for patients.

Effort to contact the hospital administration failed. Deputy commissioner J.S.Pachnanda said these were false allegations by some people with vested interests.