SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: Many ongoing healthcare projects in Valley are jumping one deadline after another, which is really a matter of grave concern. Bemina Maternity & Childcare Hospital has become a typical example of missed deadlines as despite repeated assurances of officials to make it operational at the earliest, the mega project has been waiting for its commissioning for a long time. Although construction work on the hospital has been completed yet it has not been made functional for unknown reasons. The hospital was earlier designated as a 200-bedded Mother and Childcare Institute, but in 2019, it was declared to be established as a full-fledged pediatric hospital with a 500-bed capacity. After missing more than 4 consecutive deadlines during last 8 years, it was announced to make the 500-bedded facility at Bemina area operational with OPD services starting from October 2021, and Government also assured to shift GB Pant Hospital to Bemina, but all these claims proved out as false as hospital jumped one more deadline.
At present, G B Pant Hospital is functional at Sonwar from past 15 years, which is the only children’s hospital in Kashmir catering need of a large population from across the Valley, and sometimes, from Jammu as well. “Hospital is congested which hampers delivery system that ultimately creates problems for patients,” said a doctor posted at GB Pant Hospital. The hospital falls in the cantonment area in Sonwar and on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, which remains clogged with a heavy flow of traffic, thereby impacting movement of patients. The new hospital has a bed capacity of 500 against 200 at G B Pant Hospital.
During the execution of project, the executing agency missed three deadlines in completing project, first in 2014, second in 2017 and third in 2018. Officials are of the view that some extra efforts are required for making Bemina hospital operational at the earliest. “The additional work will be completed soon and hopefully hospital will be ready by the end of September,” they added.