SRINAGAR, JAN 3   :     The gross death rate has shown a slight decline in Kashmir’s one of the largest tertiary care hospitals, Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS).

The Health and Medical Education Department (H&MED) said a total of 72,795 patients were admitted as inpatients in the hospital in the year 2023–24 until November 30, 2023, and the total deaths during the period were 2095.

Out of these total deaths, 295 patients were brought to death, and 838 deaths were reported in the hospital.

“In the year 2022–23, 3218 deaths were reported for a figure of 1,09,202 admissions in the hospital. The gross death rate for 2022–23 was 2.98, and for 2023–2024 it was 2.87, thereby showing a slight decline this year,” an official spokesman of the HMED said.

The spokesman added that the percentage of deaths per inpatient department (IPD) figures is well within the normal range and is not alarming.

“It is essential to consider various factors contributing to these numbers, such as the complexity of cases, underlying health conditions, and external factors beyond the hospital’s control, as well as the fact that SMHS Hospital is a tertiary care hospital and generally critical patients are referred to the facility,” he said.

The spokesman said the hospital administration has procured 156 ventilators over the last three years from various companies, aiming to enhance critical care capabilities.

“Further, causality wards, both surgical and medical, have been upgraded. Surgical facilities are provided with causality for critically injured patients with head injuries. All radiological investigations, including CT, USG, Doppler, and other high-end investigations, are provided under one roof 24×7, and the reports are available online,” he said.

On Monday, former Union Minister and Congress leader Saifuddin Soz raised an alarm over the “high” number of deaths in the SMHS. He had taken up the issue with the advisor to the J&K Lt. Governor.(UNI)