Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Jan 12: While the state-of-the-art, World Bank-funded additional block of the Bone and Joint Hospital, Barzulla, is set to be inaugurated soon, the staff required to run the facility remains unavailable.
Sources privy to the developments told Excelsior that nearly 250 posts-largely comprising paramedics-were projected nearly a year ago. However, these posts have neither been approved nor advertised for recruitment so far.
“These posts include paramedical staff, doctors, security personnel, and nursing orderlies. While there has been no significant progress in the recruitment process, it has been decided to address the need for security and nursing orderlies through outsourcing,” they said.
Notably, as per the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA), the additional block of the hospital, constructed under the Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) with funding from the World Bank, is ready and is currently undergoing trials before being opened for use.
However, the lack of staff, despite the completion of the additional block, raises concerns about whether the facility will function as expected.
Excelsior has been told that the Finance Department had raised several queries regarding the proposed posts, which have been addressed, but the final approval remains pending, even though the block’s inauguration could happen at any time.
Doctors emphasized that the additional block is not a replacement for the existing setup but rather an extension designed to complement the hospital’s overall operations.
They stressed that the projected staffing is critical to its success. “It should not come down to relying on existing staff to ensure its functioning or drawing personnel from other hospitals to fill the gaps. The staffing process must be expedited,” they said.
Regarding equipment-an essential component of the additional block, as doctors plan to enhance specialty surgeries once it becomes operational-officials confirmed that most of the equipment has been installed, while the remaining items are in the process of procurement.
Officials from the R&B Department, which serves as the Project Implementation Unit (PIU), reiterated that the additional block is complete.
They added that while most equipment is in place, procurement of the remaining items is ongoing.
Earlier, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, along with Cabinet Minister Sakina Itoo, visited the hospital and set a January deadline for operationalizing the additional block.
However, that deadline is likely to be missed, with doctors noting that the trial run of the block may take longer than anticipated.
They also warned that even if the block is inaugurated without sanctioned staff, “its functionality may fall short of expectations.”
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