Way back in 2009, construction of Lal Ded Memorial Hospital’s multi-storey building was begun to ease the great crowding of Kashmir’s lone maternity hospital. Four years have gone by and the construction is nowhere near completion. It is learnt that Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC) has delayed its completion owing to faulty design. Why should the JKPCC have approved the earlier design, which now emerges as faulty? Who had to approve that design and why did he approve it? This asks for enquiry.
It is strange that whenever a major project is undertaken, the Government is constrained to institute one or the other enquiry into various irregularities, financial, constructional, design or environment etc. This is a reflection on the departments that are looking after these projects.
Lal Ded hospital is the only maternity hospital in the Kashmir region. According to statistics revealed, it is found that 80 per cent of the patients come from far off rural areas in districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Bandipora, Baramulla, and Kupwara etc. This is despite the fact that dispensaries and district hospitals exist in those areas. The doctors are helpless owing to lack of space, equipment and other pre-requisites of hospital infrastructure. Generally relatives accompany patients from rural areas coming to the city hospital and this causes crowding in the hospital. This crates chaotic conditions and the hospital staff is unable to cope with it.
We fail to understand why maternity frailties are not made adequately available at district hospitals? That would reduce pressure on the premier maternity hospital in Srinagar. While designing the multi-storey hospital in Srinagar, the authorities should have also thought of increasing the capacity of district level hospitals to accommodate more maternity cases.
Finally, the Health Department should fix the deadline for completion of the LD Hospital new complex. It should not be left to the sweet will of the construction agency. Delaying a project also means escalation in the cost of construction. We would suggest the Minister in charge of Health and Medical Education to take personal in seeing to it that the LD Hospital is brought to completion as early as possible and reduce the pressure on the staff and services of the existing hospital.
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