Shopian: It was the year 2008 when construction of a new 100-bed hospital started at an estimated cost of Rs 23.5 crore here in Shopian, but the construction is still going on and there’s no knowing when it will end.
The new hospital is being built at the site of a sub-district hospital that was established in 1977 and upgraded to district hospital in December 2018.
Officials from the JKPCC, which is constructing the hospital building, claim that within a month they will finish the civil engineering works. However, there is no sign of a lift, a central heating system, and ramps anywhere in the building.
“We have handed over three storeys to the health department and the fourth storey will be handed over to them within a month-and-a-half,” said Masood Ahmad Wangoo, managing director JKPCC for civil division Pulwama, which also includes Shopian district.
The old hospital staff says that even after a wait of more than a decade, they are not expecting a hospital anytime soon. A doctor told Kashmir Reader, “We are operating health services from old buildings with inadequate and outdated arrangements. It hampers patient care.”
When asked why don’t they shift to the new building, he said, “How is it possible when there aren’t any facilities? We can’t operate without a ramp or lift. We won’t be able to carry patients up on stairs.”
Another staffer said that the testing labs are operating from structures where there is no space to even collect samples. “The space is same as it was in 1980s, despite the population having increased four times,” he said.
Shopian has about 3.5 lakh population and according to locals even in the time of Covid they are forced to consult doctors in other district hospitals.
“Everything has changed since 2008 but not the condition of this district hospital,” said an anguished Muhammad Adnan, who a day before was forced to go to Srinagar to consult a pulmonologist.
Locals also said that over the years, the authorities have many a time claimed that the building will be completed within a month or two, but years have passed since such promises.
Chief Medical Officer Shopian, Dr Ramesh Bhat, admitted that the delay in construction of the new hospital building was hampering work. “We are planning to shift the departments which can be operated without ramp and lift facilities,” he said.
According to officials from Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC), a ramp was not part of the deal when they took over the construction. “The Deputy Commissioner recently told us to provide him a cost estimate of the ramp, with hope that it may be done with Rs 40-50 lakh, but the cost has gone beyond his jurisdiction. It will cost around three crore rupees,” said Wangoo.
Deputy General Manager at JKPCC’s mechanical department, Faisal Azmat Shah, told Kashmir Reader that they have issued a tender for the installation of a lift and it will be done within two-three months.
“We several times issued tenders for central heating system but there wasn’t any response as for these mechanical works a contractor needs men from outside Jammu and Kashmir who have not been available for a year now,” Shah said.
He added that fresh tenders will be issued and all possible means will be taken into consideration to finish all the work soon.

Raashid Hassan