In a new twist to under-construction mother-and-child care hospital (MCH) at Bemina here, a row has broken out between Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar and SKIMS Medical College Bemina over management of the centrally funded institute.
The government has now constituted a four member committee to examine the proposal regarding amalgamation of under construction hospital with Medical College Bemina. The members of the committee include principal secretary health and medical education, director SKIMS, principal SKIMS medical college and principal GMC Srinagar.
A health department official said that in last governing body meeting of SKIMS Soura, held on 06 August, authorities of the Bemina medical college proposed that it be allowed to undertake upcoming hospital at Bemina to help it expand its maternity and pediatric services.
The proposal was however vehemently opposed by the GMC under whose jurisdiction the hospital is originally proposed to function. The hospital is coming up in the vicinity of the Bemina Medical College.
The official said the matter was again brought up in review meetings of health and medical education department, but the GMC stood its ground.
The official said following “arguments” between authorities from two sides (GMC and Bemina medical college) in the official meetings government finally constituted the committee on September 14. The committee hasn’t met so far.
As per the original plan, the five-storey hospital has 300 beds for maternity services and 200 beds for pediatric care. Initially the maternity hospital, coming up at Rs 45. 98 crore, was approved by union health ministry in 2011 following a proposal submitted by GMC Srinagar, the officials said. The aim was to reduce growing load on tertiary care Lal Ded maternity Hospital.
Later in 2015, state government clubbed children hospital project with the maternity hospital and ordered that two additional floors be constructed over the three floors of the building to be utilized as 200-bedded children hospital. The cost of the children hospital was to be borne by state government and Rs 25 crore were earmarked for its construction.
The decision was taken by cabinet to address long pending proposal by the GMC, seeking a full-fledged hospital for pediatric healthcare needs in the Valley.
Earlier the GMCs pediatric hospital was shifted from Hazuri Bagh to GB Pant hospital in 2006 as a temporary arrangement to pave way for expansion of LD hospital. Currently, the lone pediatric hospital in Kashmir operating from GB Pant Hospital, controlled by Badami Bagh Cantonment Board, caters to healthcare needs of 30 lakh children.
The hospital is however facing acute shortage of space and infrastructure, affecting healthcare delivery.
The GMC Srinagar has for long been seeking expansion of the hospital at an appropriate location to incorporate 500 beds and pediatric super specialties such as pediatric surgery, pediatric ophthalmology, pediatric nephrology, pediatric radiology and pediatric psychiatry.