8000 more beds in proposed 140 hospitals in J&K by 2012

Srinagar, Sep 11 (UNI) As many as 140 new hospitals would be built across Jammu and Kashmir by 2012 under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), enhancing the capacity of beds by 8000.

Health and Medical Education Minister Mangat Ram Sharma stated this while inaugurating a two-day First Joint Conference (CME) of Indian Colleges of Physician (ICP) and Jammu and Kashmir Chapter of Association of Physicians of India here.

The hospitals would be constructed at district, tehsil and block levels in the state.

Mr Sharma said the Government Medical Colleges at Srinagar and Jammu have been upgraded to the AIIMS level while as the SKIMS Soura was already functioning at its level, which would help provide better medicare facilities to the people in the state.

Directions have been issued for completing the two-mega projects within the scheduled time-frame, he added.

The Minister said to ease the pressure of gynae patients at the Lala Ded Hospital in Srinagar and the SMGS Hospital Jammu, a 400 bedded maternity hospital would soon be constructed at Bemina in Srinagar and Kaluchak in Jammu.

To strengthen the district hospitals, adequate staff would be posted besides ensuring the renovation of the existing healthcare buildings, he added.

Mr Sharma said nearly 300 dental surgeons would also be appointed in all primary health centers for which the proposal had been sanctioned. Trauma centers would also be set up at every district with those at Gund and Qazigund having been already completed.

The work on trauma centers at Thathri and Mahan was going on at full pace, he said, adding the far-flung areas of the state would also be covered in a phased manner.

UNI