E-Paper
New 500-bed children’s hospital opens in Srinagar
Earlier, the lone paediatric care institution in Kashmir was GB Pant Hospital in a congested Sonwar with only 250 beds catering to around half of the child (0 to 6 years) population of J&K
Srinagar: A 500-bed children’s hospital opened in Srinagar on Monday.
Earlier, the lone paediatric care institution in Kashmir was GB Pant Hospital in a congested Sonwar with only 250 beds catering to around half of the child (0 to 6 years) population of J&K, which by the 2011 census was estimated to be over 20 lakh.
The new health institution has been constructed at Bemina at a cost of around ₹115 crores with all the facilities related to children’s care.
“This is a 500-bed hospital as opposed to the 250 beds in the old one. We hope that the congestion and doubling of patients (on a single bed) we faced at the old structure won’t be experienced here,” said Dr Muzaffar Jan, HoD paediatrics, Children Hospital.
“Child cardiology, neurology, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology - all these facilities and paediatric surgery and orthopaedics are being brought under one roof so that patients get holistic care under one roof,” he said.
The hospital and its premises are spread over an area of 40 kanals with other facilities also present like medical oxygen plants of 3000 lpm capacity, lifts, central heating system and fire fighting equipment.
The medical superintendent of the hospital, Nazir Choudhary said that they offered both OPD services and admission to the patients on the first day.
The construction of the hospital was necessitated after GB Pant hospital, which had only a 140-bed capacity with decrepit infrastructure and congested and dirty environs, had witnessed above-average neonatal deaths in 2012, sending alarm across the valley.
The then National Conference-Congress coalition government approved a 200-bed hospital for children in 2013 which was then given an extension by the People’s Democratic Party and Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government in 2015 for a 500-bed Mother-Child Hospital. But in 2019, when J&K was not under any elected government, the project was changed again for the construction of a 500-bed hospital for children only and in 2021 after the approval of the state administrative council under the lieutenant governor, the work on its construction was started.
Officials said that OPD and admissions at GB Pant hospital Sonwar were closed today.
“The government has been thinking of providing health care to adults at GP Pant. Perhaps the government is planning to shift Chest Diseases Hospital there,” said Choudhary.
