After missed deadlines, B&J hospital block to be ready by Jan end

Srinagar, Dec 15: After multiple missed deadlines, the under construction 120-bed specialized orthopaedic block at Bone and Joint Hospital, Srinagar is now expected to be completed by January, as construction work has been expedited, officials said on Sunday.
This is the first hospital in Jammu and Kashmir to have a pneumatic tube system in its under-construction orthopaedic unit building which missed its June deadline earlier this year.
The additional hospital block is being constructed by J&K Economic Reconstruction Agency, Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) in collaboration with the World Bank.
Officials at the hospital said that the new hospital building is designed as a G+ structure, incorporating modern machinery in its construction. The construction was started way back in 2019 and it has missed multiple deadlines.
A senior official at the Bone and Joint Hospital stated that the building is nearing completion and is now in its final stages. “Recently, a team from the World Bank visited the construction site and suggested some changes,” he said.
A team of doctors had also suggested changes in intensive care unit and high dependency unit and purchase of necessary equipment which was then approved by the government.
“The deadline for this year was ending June and it was scheduled to be handed over but it has missed another deadline. Now it is set for completion before January end,” the official said.
The official said the new hospital building will also have a state-of-the-art modular operation theatre (OT) which is also coming for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Specialized Orthopaedic Unit will have a huge impact on patient care and people will get state-of-the-art facilities. Concerned officials said this is the first time that they are using Viscous Fluid Dampers in any structure.
The hospital’s design was finalized after extensive consultations with health infrastructure experts, the health department, and hospital administration, incorporating their inputs.
The facility was approved with an aim that this hospital will be at par with the norms of world-leading hospitals which are in India as well as outside the country.
Doctors at the hospitals said with the completion of the new block, the hospital will be decongested and is expected to improve trauma and orthopaedics services in the valley.
The hospital which gets patients from Kishtwar, Chenab Valley and Ladakh has a greater importance in healthcare in the region.
Earlier, the hospital had 200 beds however when it caught fire in March 2022, the bed strength came down to 150 and the hospital became congested.
“The building should be handed over immediately and it should be completed as soon as possible so that patients have signs of relief,” the doctors said.
Officials at the hospital said that the new building will push the patient care further and benefit patients at large. Despite the delay the new deadline is now coming near.
The existing hospital building was also damaged in 2014 floods that had later prompted the need for construction of an additional block which was approved in 2015.