Nine years after its construction was started the district hospital Bandipora is incomplete, having already missed four deadlines.
Construction for the multi-specialty hospital coming up atNusoo was started in 2010. More than Rs 21 crore out of the total estimatedcost of Rs 28.25 crore has already been spent, but the hospital remains a dreamfor the district’s residents.
They say patients face immense hardships in absence of aproper healthcare institute in the district. “Present hospital building is in ashambles where the OPD, general ward and accident, and emergency ward arefunctioning from pre-fabricated huts and still has the status of a sub-districthospital,” said Mohammad Yousuf, a resident.
“Due to the lack of space patients suffer. It has thecapacity of 20 beds only and labor room has only three beds.”
Patients from the district have to travel to Srinagar orSopore for specialised treatment.
“Even patients with minor ailments, and mostly pregnantpatients are referred to Srinagar as the present hospital has no specialfacilities,” said another resident Mushtaq Ahmad.
Official sources said the executing agency has already missedfour deadlines in the past to complete the multi-crore hospital building.
“Earlier, the deadline for making one portion of thehospital functional was June 2017, later it was extended to September 2017, buttill date the hospital is yet to be made functional,” an official said.
He added that another deadline was fixed for June 2018 butthe executing authority has failed to complete the construction works and handover the building to the health department.
“When the executing agency failed to complete the project inJune 2018 also, the deadline was later extended to June 2019 yet its completionis nowhere in sight. Finishing work is in progress since 2015 and still it hasnot been completed,” another official said, declining to be named.
The hospital is being constructed by JK Housing Board.
“Even though Rs 3.50 crores were provided under languishingprojects this year to the complete the project but the administrative approvalof the same is still pending which has left the project hanging,” an officialsaid.
Director health services Kashmir Dr Kunzes Dolma said thatthe building “should be” handed over by the executing agency shortly but wasquick to add that she was not aware of the present status of the project.