Medical infrastructure in Rajouri, Kathua to be strengthened

Srinagar, Jul 6: The Administrative Council (AC) which met here under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, Wednesday approved proposal of Health and Medical Education Department to construct a 100-bedded Mother & Child Health Care Hospital at Lamberi Rajouri,
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K and Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor attended the meeting.
The sanctioned hospital will be constructed under National Health Mission (NHM) at an estimated cost of Rs. 47.232 Crore and will be completed by 2024-25.
The new 100 Bedded Mother & Child Care Hospital will be equipped with facilities for emergency ward, OPD, IPD and operation theatres. Apart from MCH services, the hospital will also provide general healthcare and accidental services to the common masses besides serving the emergent health needs of tourists & pilgrims.
Being centrally placed, the MCH will serve a large population of Rajouri and Poonch districts and will also serve as accidental hospital on the Jammu-Poonch National Highway. It will be an important focal medical health centre for the populace of Nowshera, Sunderbani, Kalakote and adjoining villages, besides serving as a referral health facility for various PHCs like Lamberi, Seri, Garan and Sub Centres like Kheri, Patrari, Hanjana, Dandesar etc.
The Administrative Council also approved up-gradation of the 30-bedded Community Health Centre at Billawar, Kathua to a 100- bedded Sub-District Hospital at an estimated cost of Rs. 28.18 crore. The project will be completed in financial year 2023-24.
The project will strengthen the healthcare services of the area and help increase life expectancy and decrease IMR/ MMR in the region, besides meeting the long pending demand of the common masses of Billawar, Kathua. It will also create more employment opportunities both for operationalization of the project and by way of development of additional support services around the project area.