Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 31: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today gave nod to the proposal of Health and Medical Education Department for construction of 200-bedded maternity and 250-bedded children hospital over an area of about 70 kanals at Bemina. He gave two weeks’ time to the concerned department for finalizing building construction plan alongwith Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Chairing a high level meeting to finalize the site for the proposed children and maternity hospitals, Chief Minister said that the establishment of the two institutions in close proximity with common diagnostic facilities would be a right step to ensure better and up to the mark health care system in place for the women and children at one place.
Asking for involving reputed and experienced architects in hospital construction in the project formulation and design, Omar Abdullah said that the two hospitals should be constructed on modern lines making completion time bound. He said the establishment of the two important hospitals at one place will resolve the distance problem hampering the immediate medicare to the infants requiring under special circumstances and help to dovetail the facilities for greater benefits of the patients.
Omar Abdullah also approved 80-bedded children wards in existing Lal Ded Hospital and said that the construction of children block should be factored in the overall expansion programme of Lal Ded Hospital which envisages adding 100 more beds in this maternity hospital.
The meeting was told that while Government of India has approved Rs. 50 crore for the new 200-bedded maternity hospital for Srinagar, the State Government has to fund establishment of new 250-bedded children hospital from its own resources.
The Chief Minister said that in his upcoming meeting with the Union Health Minister, he will discuss the issue of Central financial support for new children’s hospital with him. He directed the Health and Medical Education Department to fast track the process of launching these projects. “With the decision of site selection, the ground work for construction should start soon”, he added.
The Chief Minister said that upgradation and improvement in the existing hospitals and extension of health care facilities in rural and far-flung areas should be flagged as a mission by all involved with this sector. He said his Government has underlined health care as one of the important concerns and priority attention is being given to earmark required funds for this sector out of the State’s own resources besides utilizing Central schemes available in this regard.
Omar Abdullah said that the pressure on secondary and tertiary care hospitals would decrease when rural health care centres are upgraded and modernized as per the requirements. He said Government is concentrating on this issue positively. He said placement of doctors, para-medical staff along with necessary equipment for rural hospitals is receiving priority attention.
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