HC asks govt to strengthen existing medical facilities

The High Court of J&K and Ladakh has asked the government to strengthen the existing facilities for the children and women in the best advancement of the medical system in Kashmir.

A division bench of Chief Justice Ali Mohammad Margey and Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul said this while closing a Public Interest Litigation(PIL) on its own motion initiated by it following a representation before it for preservation of space for child and female patients including pregnant women at Jehlum Valley College, Bemina.

The PIL was closed after the bench perused response filed by J&K’s Financial Commissioner Health & Medical Education Department, stating therein that a separate paediatrics hospital having specialties in paediatrics department like paediatric surgery, paediatric cardiology, paediatric oncology, paediatric gastroenterology has been established at Bemina, near Hajj House, Srinagar.

The officer also revealed that two new maternity hospitals of 200 beds capacity each were sanctioned by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, one each at Srinagar and Jammu, to strengthen the maternity related services and facilities in J & J&K.

These sites were finalized at Bemina Srinagar and Govt Hospital Gandhi Nagar, Jammu. The sites for both these projects – Maternity Hospital and Paediatrics Hospital were identified adjacently at Bemina, Srinagar.

While the progress of execution of Maternity Hospital Srinagar, the government said, was advancing towards its completion, it contended that the Principal, Government Medical College, Srinagar mooted a proposal to convert the complete complex of 200-Bedded Maternity Hospital and 300-bedded Paediatrics Hospital into a full- fledged 500-bedded paediatrics Hospital due to the reasons that maternity related services in the L.D Hospital, Srinagar have been substantially strengthened by way of construction of additional 200- bedded block and the same has been made functional also.

It was also stated that further, another 200- bedded block has also been approved under World Bank Funding for L.D Hospital Srinagar raising the existing bed strength from 500 beds to 900 beds.

While the bench pointed out that the detailed status report filed by the Financial Commissioner Health & Medical Education Department satisfies the requirements for care of both children and women so far as the medical facilities are concerned, it said:

“Therefore, we are inclined to close this Public Interest Litigation with the observation that the authorities will strengthen the existing facilities in these Hospitals for both the children and women in the best advancement of medical system.” Greater Kashmir