Staff of 2400 working in Kashmir’s B&J Hospital
Proposed in 2 phases for Rs 73 cr, finished in single
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Sept 30: The much-hyped Bone and Joint (B&J) Hospital at Bakshi Nagar, Jammu once projected as a milestone in specialized orthopedic care for the region, has unfortunately been reduced to functioning like a small extension of the Govt Medical College Jammu. With insufficient staff, lack of infrastructure, and gross disparity in manpower allocation, the hospital is struggling to serve the needs of patients from across the Jammu division.
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Compared to its counterpart in Srinagar, the Jammu B&J Hospital presents a grim picture of official neglect and discriminatory healthcare planning. While the Srinagar Bone and Joint Hospital has nearly 16 Professors and a robust strength of more than 2,400 staff members, the Jammu unit is left with only 3 Professors and a skeletal workforce of around 300, that too, deployed from GMC Jammu.
Initially, proposed to construct in two phases with the project cost of Rs 73 crores hardly six years ago, Jammu’s Bone and Joint Hospital was finished just in single phase, with the cost of just Rs 40 crores, having 180 beds instead of 300 and that too, was raised without any parking space. There is immense seepage in this newly raised building during rains. Moreover, out of five operation theatres only two have been made functional while three others do not have the necessary equipment.
Established with the aim of providing specialized orthopaedic services to the people of ten districts in the division, Jammu’s B&J Hospital was expected to decongest GMC Jammu and handle trauma and accident-related orthopedic cases effectively. However, the acute shortage of doctors, consultants, nurses, and paramedics has crippled the hospital’s functioning.
Sources said shortage of doctors and infrastructure directly impacts patients who often face delays in surgery and treatment. The current state of Jammu’s B&J Hospital is not merely a case of negligence, but a systemic discrimination that reflects in broader healthcare planning across J&K.
“When you compare the resources allocated to Jammu versus Srinagar, the imbalance is stark. This cannot be brushed aside as coincidence, it is a deliberate pattern of neglect,” said a senior officer at GMC Jammu on condition of anonymity.
He further said the former two Principals of the GMC Jammu and the sitting one, have written to the Administrative department of Health and Medical Education Department since 2021 to provide staff at least 50 % of that posted at B&J Hospital Srinagar but the file has been biting dust in the cupboards of the concerned departments. No staff, no budget has been provided to the Jammu’s Bone and joint Hospital till date, which was made operational about two years ago. For any petty maintenance or other works, Principal GMC Jammu is requested for the funds, he added.
The officer said the poor state of the Bone and Joint Hospital has also increased the patient burden on GMC Jammu. With limited facilities available at the B&J Hospital, most complicated cases are referred back to GMC, further stretching its already overloaded infrastructure. Moreover, its second phase as per the design conceived in the beginning, has been abandoned.
A senior faculty member in Ortho Unit of GMC Jammu said there seems to be different standards for hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir. At B&J Barzulla hospital in Srinagar, around 2400 staff members work, while for Jammu, the file for less than 300 staff posts has been pending for four years, and not a single post has been sanctioned as yet. At Barzulla, there are more than 16 Professors, while in B&J Hospital Jammu only 3 Professors from the Orthopedics Department, GMC Jammu, are providing services.
Unless the Government takes immediate corrective measures, this hospital will remain nothing more than a symbol of discrimination and unfulfilled promises, further eroding public trust in the fairness of J&K’s healthcare policy, he added.
Former Health and Medical Education Minister, Taj Mohiuddin when contacted said, mere raising a building does not mean establishment of an Institution. Jammu’s Bone and Joint Hospital urgently needs full fledged staff, equipment and its regular budget. It is unfortunate that even after two years, the Government failed to place staff there.
Taj recalled that for making Jammu’s Super Specialty Hospital functional, contractual staff was appointed in the beginning. “The people at the helm of affairs can manage MRI or some other machines on PPP Mode or even can procure themselves if they have budget. The staff from the NHM for the time being can also be taken till they appoint regular staff through PSC,” he suggested.
A senior bureaucrat in the Administrative department of H&M Education Department without getting quoted said, he has taken up this issue several times during the high level meetings. Even the Chief Secretary knows about it very well. “We want to appoint staff and provide annual budget as well to this Jammu hospital but the file is moving from here and there for the past few years, and it yet awaits clearance from the Finance and Planning departments,” he revealed.
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