Gopal Sharma
Jammu’s Super Specialty Hospital, a unique gift to the people of Jammu and Kashmir from the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is all set to provide advanced Medical facilities to the patients of the State. With the full-fledged functioning of this Hospital, the patients’ load from the J&K state on the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research (PGIMR), Chandigarh and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi will be reduced.
Though the hospital has started some of its departments out of the total six, Neurosurgery and a few other wings have yet to start its functioning. Advanced equipment meant for Neurosurgery is being procured from abroad and the other wing, besides, Cardiology has yet to be made fully functional here. The hospital still needs services of Senior Residents/ consultants and for this purpose the matter has been taken up with the State Finance departments to offer higher grades to the super-specialists to be taken from outside the state for running this most advanced Medical institution.
Though an amount of Rs 135 crore was earmarked on the Super-Specialty Hospital project, only Rs 115 crore has so far been spent on it where as, Rs 20 crore was diverted to Pediatrics Hospital building in the SMGS Hospital complex on Shalamar Road. There is no adequate space for the parking in the new hospital complex but the Medical Education department has proposed to raise multi-storey parking facility for 500 vehicles/ cars at a cost of Rs 15 crore on the south-west side of the new building complex. The work has been started on it. Initially two floors are being raised for 200 vehicles. Another building of the Emergency block of Super Specialty hospital is being constructed at a cost of Rs 15 crore shortly. It will also reduce the load of patients on the Govt Medical College hospital, Jammu.
Minister for Medical Education Taj Mohiuddin, who is taking keen interest after assuming charge as new minister concerned, disclosed that sufficient para-medical and nursing staff has been appointed for running this hospital. Many other faculty posts have also been filled up and some staff has been brought from Govt Medical College and Associate hospitals here. Some doctors have also been appointed but there is still shortage of senior Residents/ Consultants. The State Government has decided to bring senior and competent doctors from outside for some super-specialty wings. The matter was also discussed with the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. They have given green nod to go for this arrangement.
The main problem in bringing super-specialists from out side is the less salary being offered to them by the State. Some of the doctors from J&K working outside were also approached at individual level with personal initiative but they have not given their mind on the plea that wages offered to them were too less. Therefore the matter has been taken up afresh with the State Finance Department. After the Finance department okays, the process of recruiting senior doctors from outside would also start. He said the main purpose is to provide most advanced and world class Medical facilities to the patients of the State.
Taj said though several units of this hospital have been made functional, yet the Super Specialty hospital will be formally inaugurated by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh or AICC president and UPA chairpersons Sonia Gandhi. “ We have already approached both of them and the function in this regard is likely to be held at the end of November or during December this year. Some equipment for Neurosurgery unit is being procured and this process may take a few weeks. As and when this equipment is installed, the inaugural functional would be held,” Mr Taj maintained.
Strongly opposing the menace of private practice by some faculty members/ doctors, Mr Taj said they were doing it in violation of MCI guidelines. The Government has already banned it and even a team has been framed under the supervision of Medical Superintendant of Super Specialty Hospital, Dr Reyaz Ahmed to conduct surprise checking and on few occasions some Medicos were caught red handed and they were issued warnings. Next time if they were found indulging in such act, they will be panelized. Mr Taj also disclosed that a large number of kidney, heart and head-injury patients go outside the state for treatment and provision of facilities in this hospital would certainly reduce the load of patients from the State on PGI Chandigarh and AIIMS, Delhi. But some patients also prefer to go to the private hospitals at Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Delhi.
Dr Reyaz, being first Medical Superintendant of SSH is closely associated with the raising of this hospital and putting untiring efforts to make the system on rails. He told the Excelsior that this 220- bedded hospital will prove as boon, especially for the people of this region. Dr Reyaz said the hospital has already been made functional as most of the OPDs are being conducted here now. The Operation Theatre and Labs have also been made functional and dialysis unit is also offering services to the kidney patients. But kidney transplant facility is not yet available here. He said efforts are being utilized to make Neurosurgery unit fully functional. A large number of accident/ head injury cases arrive GMC Jammu from various parts of the region, therefore, it has been felt to improve neurosurgery department in the hospital.
At present Cardiology, Neurology, Neuro-surgery, Endocrinology and Gastroentrology OPDs are being conductred in the SSH while Cardiology wing will be fully shifted to the SSH from the GMC within a week. The Cardio Vascular Thoracic Surgery (CVTS), Nephrology and Urology is also fully functional. But there are hardly 3 dialysis machines so far. Twenty dialysis machines are being installed shortly for the kidney patients. 22-bedded ICU is being raised till now and 11 beds with ventilators are available. More are being procured and get installed shortly. Apart from this 21 bedded CCU is also coming up soon. 128 slice CAT Scan is already functional and Cath Lab is being made functional within a week. There are five lists in this 5-storey building besides three modular Operation theatres and three advanced modular integrated OTs.
Apart from this, there are few more machines/ equipments which are to be received from the Union Health Ministry. They included Heart-Lung machine, Urological Laproscope and craniotomy machines. The cost of the machines will be borne by the Union Health Ministry. When asked about the annual budget of this hospital, Dr Reyaz said nearly Rs 15 crore would be salary component while over 10 crore for maintenance and other drugs and OT related expenditure annually. The Government has yet to take decision on it. He disclosed that 64 Assistant Surgeons were recently posted vide SRO 364 but there is still shortage of senior doctors/ consultants in the hospital. He claimed that more than 50 % posts were still lying vacant in the hospital and the process was going to get them recruited.
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