Srinagar’s government health facilities, at least in terms of infrastructure, equipment and medical capabilities, have come a long way. New buildings have appeared, diagnostic facilities have improved and specialised services are increasingly available within the public healthcare system. But there is an uncomfortable truth that administrators can no longer afford to ignore, a hospital is not judged merely by its machines, buildings or doctors. It is judged by how a frightened, sick and vulnerable patient is treated at its doors.
And this is where many government health facilities in Srinagar continue to disappoint. The arrogance and indifference displayed by sections of Class IV and middle-rung employees have become a serious deterrent for patients who have little choice but to depend on government hospitals. A patient arrives already carrying pain, anxiety and uncertainty, only to encounter an employee who behaves as if the patient is doing the hospital a favour by seeking treatment there.
Simple questions are sometimes met with irritation. Directions are given reluctantly. Patients and attendants are made to move from one counter to another without proper guidance. In some cases, the tone itself becomes humiliating. This may sound like a small administrative issue. It is not.
For a poor family, a government hospital is not an alternative, it is often the only alternative. When such people are made to feel unwelcome in a public health facility, the damage goes far beyond hurt feelings. It erodes confidence in the entire healthcare system. Doctors and nurses cannot compensate for an unfriendly system at every step. A highly qualified doctor working in a modern hospital can have his or her efforts undermined by a person at the reception, registration counter, ward entrance or laboratory who treats patients with contempt.
There is also a dangerous tendency to confuse government employment with unquestionable authority. A public servant is not the owner of a government hospital. The hospital belongs to the public, and every employee working there is ultimately a servant of that public. Nobody expects Class IV employees to perform the duties of doctors. Nobody expects middle-rung staff to solve every problem. But courtesy, discipline, punctuality and basic human decency are not specialised qualifications. They are the minimum requirements of public service.
The government must therefore look beyond infrastructure statistics and service availability. Patient experience should become a measurable component of healthcare administration. Hospital administrations should establish transparent grievance mechanisms, conduct regular patient-feedback surveys and identify repeated complaints against staff. CCTV monitoring in appropriate public areas, supervisory checks and surprise inspections can help ensure that employees understand that misbehaviour is not a privilege attached to a government job.
At the same time, staff who perform their duties with compassion and professionalism deserve recognition. Accountability should not mean punishment alone; good behaviour should also be encouraged and rewarded. The irony is that the government may spend crores on buildings, sophisticated equipment and modernisation, only to lose public confidence because someone at a counter refuses to speak politely. A hospital is not merely a place where diseases are treated. It is a place where people arrive at their most vulnerable. A patient should not have to plead for basic information, tolerate humiliation or fear an employee simply to access a service that is already his or her right.
Srinagar’s government healthcare system may have improved its hardware. Now it urgently needs to upgrade its humanware. Because no matter how modern the hospital becomes, a rude voice at the reception can make the entire system feel sick.
