Residents of Sopore demand the old hospital building in the main town should be transformed into a full-fledged maternity hospital after the main hospital was moved into a new building with state of the art facilities.
The residents have protested on several occasions in therecent past asking for deputing doctors and establishing other facilities inthe old hospital building – which locals call ‘Mother and Childcare Hospital’ –where doctors are sent for gynaecology OPD on regular basis.
However, hospital authorities say they were helpless as theMCH does not exist in official records.
The authorities of Sub District Hospital Sopore, building ofwhich was recently constructed at a new place in the town say only a facilityof OPD for pregnant women has been kept available at the old SDH building.
“For the convenience of locals, we have kept OPD facility ingynaecology section available at old hospital building, which otherwise hasbeen shifted to new place where a start of the art hospital has beenconstructed. There is no other section of hospital operational at the oldhospital building,” said Dr Sami, Block Medical Officer, SDH Sopore.
Top officials in the health department say that soon afterthe SDH Sopore was shifted into the new building several years back, somelocals on their own erected a sign board at the old hospital building declaringit ‘Mother and Child Care Hospital’.
Thereafter, on the insistence of members of Sopore civilsociety only OPD in the gynaecology section was started.
“As such there is no Mother and Childcare Hospital in therecords. Neither there is any administrative approval for such a hospital. Noadministrative approval means no recruitment of doctors, staff or availabilityof funds,” said Dr Sami.
“The OPD is being run on rotational basis whilegynaecologists are being sent from sub district hospital Sopore.”
Officials in the health department say several state of theart hospitals have been constructed in recent years, as old hospital buildingswere unable to cope with the growing rush of patients.
The new hospitals include Baramulla district hospital,sub-district hospital Sopore and sub-district hospital Pattan in Baramulladistrict.
An official said when old hospitals were being shifted tonew hospital buildings, the health department faced severe resistance from asection of the society who had business interests associated with the oldhospitals.
“The local population should understand that the newhospitals are equipped with state of the art facilities.”
However, locals in the area are of the view that the oldhospital building which is at the centre of Sopore town needs to be convertedin to a full-fledged maternity hospital.
They argue the old hospital land should not be wasted andthe proposed nursing college should be constructed there.
“The old hospital building is intact and is located in theheart of the town. It needs to be restored for the maternity hospital and anursing college should be constructed there as promised by the previous government,”said Muhammad Ismail Khuroo, secretary Sopore Economic Alliance.