Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Dec 26: There seems to be no end to the healthcare woes of the people in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district as the construction work of the district hospital remained incomplete even after the passage of over a decade.
While the authorities blamed paucity of funds for the delay, people held lax attitude of the government responsible for it. As per residents, the political interference caused frequent disruptions in the work, delaying the process every now and then.
“Every political party here wants the credit of this hospital under their belt. In order to achieve that they create hurdles in the process and use public sufferings to score political points,” a disgruntled resident, Fayaz Ahmad, told Excelsior.
Shabaz Mirza, Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, said the hospital would be shifted by the end of February next year as funds have been released. “Nearly Rs 1.50 crores have been released for compound wall and landscaping. If weather permits, we will shift the hospital by end of February,” he said.
Asked about the delay in the completion of the project, he said: “There were issues of funding. Now that some funds have been released, we will be able to shift the Hospital and make one floor operational,” he said.
Contrary to the claims, an official at the Health Department said building is unlikely to get completed any time soon as a good-portion of the work is still pending. “Things like Modular OTs and lifts are yet to be constructed. Other finishing works and waste segregation plant are also incomplete. It would take nearly six months for that,” he said.
The people of the areas expressed displeasure over the Government inability to complete the project within stipulated time and alleged it of being indifferent towards the problems of the people.
They said the new building was allotted to end the deficiency of the healthcare in the area as the existing infrastructure was below par and unable to cater to the needs of the people. “The hospital looks incomplete. I am unable fathom reasons behind the delay in the shifting of hospital,” Javeed Ahmad, a local resident said.
The worst sufferers, he said, are the dialysis patients who are forced to move to other districts for the treatment despite the availability of the facilities in the hospital. “The dialysis machine is lying defunct in the hospital. What is the purpose of such facility if patients are unable to avail the benefits,” Bashir Ahmad, a local said.
As per the official figures, the hospital was constructed with revised cost of over Rs 28 crores in 2011, but has been facing scarcity of funds ever since.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
