500-bedded Paediatric Hospital Bemina to start functioning from today
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Sept 25: Finally, the wait is over as the Children’s Hospital which is currently operating from GB Pant Sonwar in Srinagar is all set to close and start its operations from the newly constructed 500-bedded Paediatric Hospital, Bemina area from September 26.
Officials told Excelsior that the Out Patient Department (OPD), as well as the Admissions, will be halted at the G B Pant Sonwar at 10 am on September 26 and at the same time, from 10 am onwards, the Paediatric Hospital, Bemina will commence its operations.
“The preparations are on and we have kept September 26 as the date for the hospital to begin its operations as of now the finishing touches are being executed throughout the hospital,” Dr. Nazir Chowdhary, Medical Superintendent of the hospital told Excelsior.
He said that several OPDs of various specialties were already operating from the new building and that the same was being carried out in coordination with the concerned. “There were only OPDs running, but with the commissioning of the new building, the operations are set to commence holistically,” he said.
It is to be noted here that there were already space constraints that the hospital was facing at the G B Pant Sonwar, prompting the Government in 2013 to begin the process of establishing a 200-bedded hospital which was then upgraded to 500 beds in 2015.
It was then in 2019 when the Government accorded sanction to the conversion of the 200-bedded Maternity Hospital and the 300 bedded Pediatric Hospital, taking the capacity to 500-beds.
On September 16 this year, the Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department approved the shifting of the Pediatric services from G B Pant, Sonwar to Bemina under the overall supervision of the Principal GMC, Srinagar while she was also directed to chalk out an action plan to shift CD Hospital to the G B Pant hospital building.
The 500-bedded Hospital, officials said, will change the outlook of Pediatric Healthcare in Kashmir and is going to have specialties like Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Pediatric Neurology, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Pediatric Nephrology, Pediatric Surgery, Pediatric Hematology, Pediatric Orthopedics, Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Nutrition.
It is not only the addition of new specialties which is going to have a great impact on healthcare delivery but the hospital is also aimed at strengthening the pediatric care facilities as well as easing the burden of the patient load on the existing tertiary level hospital apart from ensuring the quality maternity, neonatal and pediatric care in the Valley.
Notably, the Administrative Council (AC) headed by Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, in July last year accorded fresh administrative approval to the construction of a 500-bedded pediatric hospital at Bemina, Srinagar at an estimated cost of Rs. 114.81 crores.
The officials said that the hospital is going to be equipped with modern machines for managing pediatric cases across Kashmir, which, they said, will further prove beneficial in reducing the infant mortality rate. “The preparations and the arrangements at the new hospital building and its departments are being monitored and vetted by the Consultants,” the officials said.
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