500-bedded pediatric hospital Bemina begins operations

People at newly opened children hospital at Bemina in Srinagar. —Excelsior/Shakeel
People at newly opened children hospital at Bemina in Srinagar. —Excelsior/Shakeel

Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 26: The authorities today formally closed the Children Hospital at Sonwar while the newly constructed 500-bedded pediatric hospital at Bemina was thrown open for the general public.
On the day, a huge rush of people was witnessed at the hospital who reached there from different corners of Kashmir while the authorities further informed the general public that more facilities would be put in place at the hospital soon.
“We had already conveyed to the general public about the shifting of the facilities to Bemina and today all the facilities at G. B. Panth hospital were closed at 10. All the facilities that were available at GB Panth, and more than that, will remain available here,” Dr. Nazir Chowdhary, Medical Superintendent of the hospital said.
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He said that the G.B. Panth hospital, capacity was for just 240 beds and the one that has come up at Bemina has a strength of 500 beds.
“The patients from GB Panth will also be shifted soon to the new building. We have already conveyed it to the SSP and the traffic authorities which will facilitate the same,” he said.
It is to be noted here 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.
In 2013, the Government began the process of establishing a 200-bedded hospital which was then upgraded to 500 beds in 2015. Then in 2019, the Government sanctioned the conversion of the 200-bedded Maternity Hospital and the 300 bedded Pediatric Hospital, taking the capacity to 500-beds.
In July, last year, the Administrative Council (AC) headed by Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, 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.