Danishwar Hameed
People in the Qaimoh belt of south Kashmir’s Kulgam are facing immense difficulties as the Sub-District Hospital building which was authorized about 20 years ago, is still unfinished.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, locals claimed that the PDP-Congress Government approved a new building for PHC Qaimoh in 2003, which was later elevated to SDH at the locals’ request. They said that PHC had been transformed into a 50-bed SDH, and the building would cost Rs 19.34 crores to erect.
“The building’s construction began in 2003 and was abandoned after seven years due to a lack of funding after only the building’s pillars had been built,” they said.
However, about 20 years have passed since construction work began, and authorities have yet to finish the project, which has had an impact on thousands of residents in Qaimoh and the surrounding districts, they said.
People are compelled to visit private clinics and other government district or sub-district hospitals for minor illnesses since there are no basic healthcare services, he claimed. Locals claimed they have heard about deadlines that were missed for years.
A health official claimed that the lengthy process was caused by a lack of funding in addition to other problems. However, 90% of the work has already been finished. He stated that interior work is ongoing and the building will be finished next year because it is anticipated that construction will take a few more months to complete.