“Leaders like Muzaffar Hussain Beig and Taj Mohi Ud Din as Finance and Health & Medical Education Ministers respectively in two successive governments could have taken a lead role in establishing a super speciality hospital anywhere in Baramulla distric.”
As S K Institute Of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura Srinagar remains more accessible to people of Central Kashmir districts- Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam than other districts of Kashmir Valley and under construction All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Awantipora is likely to remain more accessible to South Kashmir districts-Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam than other areas of Kashmir valley, the three North Kashmir districts –Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora are yet to get accessibility even to a super speciality hospital which could be established at central places like Baramulla or Sopore to reduce the stress of referrals on referral hospitals of Srinagar from tertiary hospitals of three North Kashmir districts. Though Medical Colleges are now established in all the districts of Jammu & Kashmir but a super speciality hospital if established at an ideal place in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district could reduce the increasing stress of referrals from different tertiary hospitals of three North Kashmir districts-Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora on main referral hospitals of Srinagar city. Though SKIMS could be accessible to people of some areas of Bandipora district also but the people of Baramulla and Kupwara have to travel over 50-100 kilometers to reach any one of the top referral hospitals of Srinagar city including SKIMS Soura . Undoubtedly leaders like Muzaffar Hussain Beig and Taj Mohi Ud Din as Finance and Health & Medical Education Ministers respectively in two successive governments could have taken a lead role in establishing a super speciality hospital anywhere in Baramulla district like the one established in Jammu city during the reign of Gh Nabi Azad headed coalition Government.
“Since the incumbent Government under the leadership of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has taken many major initiatives for creating new major healthcare facilities besides upgrading some of the existing top healthcare facilities across Jammu & Kashmir, the construction of a Super Speciality hospital in Baramulla district to withstand the stress of increasing referrals from tertiary hospitals of Baramulla and Kupwara districts deserves and demands an urgent attention of the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, incumbent Chief Secretary Attal Dulloo and incumbent Secretary Health and Medical Education Department Syed Abid Rasheed Shah. The delay in initiating the construction of such a referral hospital in Baramulla district won’t only put further stress of referrals from tertiary hospital of North Kashmir on top referral hospitals of Srinagar but would also deepen the sense of discrimination on accessibility to healthcare services amongst the people of three North Kashmir district already haunting them for last several decades.”
Unfortunately even the Chief Ministers of successive Governments of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state also did not bother to establish any major referral hospital anywhere in North Kashmir that would match the healthcare facilities of the standards of SKIMS Soura and under construction AIIMS Awantipora. A top referral hospital in Baramulla district will by all standards of understandabilities withstand the stress of referrals from tertiary hospitals of three North Kashmir districts- Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora. Since the incumbent Government under the leadership of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has taken many major initiatives for creating new major healthcare facilities besides upgrading some of the existing top healthcare facilities across Jammu & Kashmir, the construction of a Super Speciality hospital in Baramulla district to withstand the stress of increasing referrals from tertiary hospitals of Baramulla and Kupwara districts deserves and demands an urgent attention of the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, incumbent Chief Secretary Attal Dulloo and incumbent Secretary Health and Medical Education Department Syed Abid Rasheed Shah. The delay in initiating the construction of such a referral hospital in Baramulla district won’t only put further stress of referrals from tertiary hospital of North Kashmir on top referral hospitals of Srinagar but would also deepen the sense of discrimination on accessibility to healthcare services amongst the people of three North Kashmir district already haunting them for last several decades. .
