Dear Editor,
Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I have been raising issue of providing basic facilities in all major animal husbandry hospitals for better treatment of owned and stray-animals many times over the years but my efforts remained fruitless. Now, as a new office has recently took charge as Principal Secretary, Animal & Sheep Husbandry Department, I want to submit following few lines for his kind consideration with a renewed hope that this time my concerns will be taken seriously and appropriately addressed, and not remained confined to files.
There is only 1 hospital in whole Jammu division (CVH Gole-Pulli) with a X-ray machine, recently purchased at a cost of Rs 50 Lakh but it is still lying non functional for reasons best known to the department. While people like me 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.
A ultrasound machine has also been purchased recently at CVH Gole Pulli but it is also not functional as no demo was provided to vets for its use nor any literature was made available to concerned operators for its use, hence lying in a box while people struggling to get ultrasound done from private clinics which 90 per cent of people cannot afford and just helplessly see animals die in absence of specialized investigation facility to find the cause of their illnesses.
Every District CVH hospitals of Animal husbandry department should have a blood Analyser, 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. Please Provide basic facility for major and minor surgeries in all animal husbandry hospitals in Jammu division because even for a Cesarean section on a small or large animal, Government vets ask people to take them to either SUKAST (R S Pura) or CVH Gole Pulli, putting life of the animal at risk as dog or cow under-going labour pains, unable to deliver unassisted or having half a calf hanging out but hemorrhaging profusely can’t be transported. 90 per cent die either on way or person does not have adequate resources to move the animal as no specialised critical Ambulances are provided for animals in UT of J&K. Cesarean section is a very common surgery but vets posted at the animal husbandry hospitals refuse the same saying they are not surgeons. There should be at least 2 trained surgeons posted in each district. Capacity building of vets employed with animal husbandry department should be must otherwise the hefty salaries drawn by Government 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 .
A recent case of a dog in Katra, who could not deliver naturally and caretaker of stray kept requesting veterinary doctor posted in Katra to treat her and got same answer they are not surgeons and if they want to save dog, they should take her to Jammu CVH. The babies died in her womb, and after our intervention and multiple calls to Director Animal Husbandry Jammu, the dog was shifted to Gole Pulli and operated at 7 PM in evening, thereby saving her life 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 needs 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 highlighted issues need urgent attention of the Principal Secretary, Animal & Sheep Husbandry Department and I am sure that with his experience and expertise, he would bring a much needed change in the functioning of Animal Husbandry Hospitals in UT of J&K.
Devinder Kaur Madaan,
Chairperson ‘Save Animals Value Environment’,
Senior Vice President SPCA Jammu.
