J&K to augment infra, facilities at trauma centres along NHs

Deep Sharma. Updated: 5/15/2022 11:34:50 AM Front Page

Jammu: With an aim to provide better health facilities at doorstep especially the accident victims, the Jammu and Kashmir Health Department will augment infrastructure with medical care services at all trauma centres along the national highways.

Official sources said that the hospitals located along the National Highways, which are facing shortage of facilities, will soon be equipped with an objective to provide immediate medical treatment to the people injured in accidents to avoid rush in the Government run medical colleges and hospitals in different districts.

Notably, Jammu and Kashmir is set to witness a boom in the health sectors in years to come with around 400 projects worth Rs 7177 crores are in making, some in the pipeline across the Union Territory.

“In order to increase the facilities in trauma hospitals situated along the national highways from Kathua to Srinagar, instructions have been issued,” official sources said.

They added that trauma hospitals of Vijaypur, Udhampur, Ramban, Sub District Hospital Batote and many more hospitals are situated along the National Highways but are facing shortage of staff.

“Ramban is the only trauma center on the 95 km long national highway after Udhampur to Banihal, but this trauma center remains neglected and many posts of specialized doctors are lying vacant in most of the trauma centres,” said sources.

They said that the then Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik had created 34 posts to make these trauma center equipped with facilities and staff including one surgeon, physician, gynecologist, paediatrician, anesthesia specialist, ophthalmologist, orthopedic specialist and a radiologist, but these posts are yet to be filled.

“Often, the accident victims are referred to the Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals thus adding to the rush of patients under treatment,” they said and claimed that there are no adequate health facilities in any hospital located on the highways.

“An order has also been issued by the government for adequate facilities in all the hospitals located on both sides of the highways besides appointment of staff, which will be helpful in saving many lives particularly those critically injured in tragic road accidents,” they said.

The centre has also recently allocated Rs 1600 under the National Health Mission for better health infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.

Moreover, nearly 400 health projects are coming up at a cost of Rs7177 crores expected to be completed in Jammu and Kashmir very soon including two All India Institutes of Medical Sciences at a cost of Rs 2000 crores.

The Health Department sources said that they were given a target of opening 2029 health and wellness centers in the year 2021-22, but they opened 2209, more than the target.

Updated On 5/15/2022 11:35:18 AM


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