Dear Editor,
Through the medium of your esteemed daily, I would like to highlight the attention of concerned authorities, especially Additional Chief Secretary, Atal Dullo regarding scarcity of various facilities like X-ray, Blood Analysers and Ultrasound etc in all major animal husbandry hospitals in Jammu. I have been raising the issue of providing basic facilities in at least all major animal husbandry hospitals for better treatment of owned and stray animals many times over the years but my efforts remained fruitless. Since, the Chief Secretary, Atal Dullo has recently taken over charge of this department, it is hoped that this time my concerns will be taken seriously and appropriately addressed and not remain in files. Only 1 hospital in whole Jammu division (CVH Gole Pully) has a X-ray machine, recently purchased at a cost of Rs 50 lakh but lying non-functional for many months for reasons best known to authorities. While people like us have to cart animals to either private clinics at a whooping cost or get them treated with trial and error method risking their precious lives. Only 1 ultrasound machine very newly purchased in CVH Gole Pulley but still not made functional as no demo was provided to the vets for its use nor any literature was made available to concerned operators for its use, hence it’s lying in a box while people struggle to get ultrasound done from private clinics which 90 per cent of the people cannot afford and just helplessly see the animal die in the absence of any specialized investigation facility to find the cause of their illnesses. Every District CVH hospitals of Animal husbandry department should have a blood Analysers, X-ray and Ultrasound facilities so that animals can be better treated and not referred to R S Pura SUKAST University, which is not possible for everyone to reach from samba, Kathua, Reasi, Poonch etc. It is requested to provide basic facility for major and minor surgeries in all animal husbandry hospitals in the Jammu division because even for a Cesarean section on a small or large animal Govt vets ask people to take them to either SUKAST (R S Pura University) or CVH Gole Pulley Jammu putting life of animal at risk as dog or cow, undergoing labour pains unable to deliver unassisted or having half a calf hanging out but hemorrhaging profusely and 90 percent die either on way or person does not have the adequate resources to move the animal inter-district as no specialised critical Ambulances are provided for the animals for such purposes in the UT of J&K. Cesarean section is a very common surgery but vets posted at the animal husbandry hospitals refuse saying they are not surgeons. Then again at least 2 trained surgeons to be posted in each district. Capacity building of vets employed with animal husbandry department should be must otherwise the hefty salaries drawn by govt vets remain unjustified while animals suffer untreated. Veterinary facility to reach the doorsteps of the farmers in rural and urban areas remain a dream as the fleet of critical care and hydraulic lift ambulances keep standing unused with the department for almost over and year .Recent case of a dog in Katra who could not deliver naturally and the caretaker of the stray kept requesting the veterinary doctor posted in Katra to treat her, again the same answer they are not surgeons and if they want to save the dog they should take her to Jammu CVH. The babies died in womb after our intervention and multiple calls to director Animal husbandry Jammu the dog was shifted to gole pulley and operated at 7 pm in the evening and the life of the animal was saved but every animal is not that lucky and there are thousands of animals if not more needing critical life saving surgeries daily in various districts but are shown the door. There is need to be a revised SOP issued to each animal husbandry major and minor centre and checks and balances in place to monitor the performance of the vets employed with animal husbandry department. At least 1 or 2 Animal husbandry hospitals in every district should have 24 hours service for emergency cases as humans and animals suffer alike and can fall ill or meet with an accident any time of the day or night and might need immediate life saving treatment. There are 10 districts in Jammu division but except CVH Jammu no other hospital in Jammu division is open 24X7. All the issues raised in this mail need urgent attention and I am sure with that an able officer like Atal Dullo, with his experience and expertise, can bring a much-needed change in the functioning of Department in UT of J&K.
Devinder Kaur Madaan.
Chairperson ‘Save Animals Value Environment’
Sr Vice president SPCA Jammu.