Even after spending a whopping amount of more than Rs 20 crores, the 60-bedded hospital at Housing Colony, Chanapora, Srinagar is craving for up-gradation from Primary Health Center to Sub District hospital for the past eight years.
President of the Colony Committee, Altaf Shawl who also works as a volunteer in the hospital, told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the construction of the hospital took place during the NC-Congress regime, however several governments changed and the health center got politicized due to which the place is still awaiting for the up gradation.
Shawl said that, even after the upgradation of the dispensary to the hospital in 2010, the activities are still the same as of the dispensary because no activities are being held even after spending the huge amount on its infrastructure and equipment.
Pertinently in 2014, the health center was supposed to be inaugurated to function as the sub-district hospital, however due to the devastating floods the inauguration was postponed.
Earlier in the year 2012, former Minister Sham Lal Sharma had laid the foundation stone of the hospital. However, the health center has not been upgraded since then despite having all the facilities of the hospital.
“In these years we knocked every possible door and left no stone unturned to make this health center functional as a full-fledged sub-district hospital but after years of the struggle the people’s aspirations have met a dead end due to politicizing of the issue,” another resident said.
He said that the locals have been tirelessly working to get the primary health center upgraded to sub-district hospital but due to official apathy people are suffering.
“The health center has all facilities; it just needs a little push by the government to make it functional even when it will function as a full-fledged sub-district hospital, the load to the district hospital could have been balanced,” the locals said.
When contacted to the Financial Commissioner to the government for health and medical education, Atal Dulloo didn’t respond to the repeated calls and messages from KNO.
Meanwhile, Director Health Kashmir, Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad Rather said that due to COVID-19 crises, the department was focusing on controlling the pandemic and had kept Dr Talat in-charge for the rest of the issues.
“I have given the charge to Dr. Talat, because as of now, I am busy with dealing COVID-19 situation,” Rather said—(KNO).