Srinagar, Mar 15: The Health & Medical Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir Saturday informed the house that there is no active proposal to upgrade Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Kupwara to a District Hospital. This was stated in response to a query by MLA Kupwara Mir Mohammad Fayaz in the Assembly.
Officials, however, highlighted ongoing efforts to enhance healthcare services at the hospital, including staffing improvements, infrastructure expansion, and collaboration with institutions like GMC Handwara. The hospital has 6 regular consultants against 15 sanctioned posts and 29 medical officers, including 18 regular and 11 contractual. Overall, 187 staff members are in position out of 239 sanctioned roles.
The government informed the house, that SDH Kupwara has a 200-bed IPD block, OPD and diagnostic units, operating theaters, and a 50-bed Critical Care Block under construction under the PM-ABHIM scheme. Renovation work is also underway to convert the old SDH building into a hostel. The hospital recently added a fully operational dialysis unit and installed 181 medical equipment. Additionally, diploma courses in five key departments—General Medicine, Surgery, Anesthesiology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Pediatrics—were launched in March 2023.
To manage patient load, the government has listed six nearby referral facilities, including the Associated Hospital (20 km), GMC Handwara (25 km), and SDH Kalaroos (15 km). OPD footfall at SDH Kupwara surged from 1.75 lakh in 2019-20 to 3.05 lakh in 2023-24, while IPD admissions increased from 11.59% to 21.78%. There has also been a rise in surgeries, institutional deliveries, and cesarean cases.
Officials stressed their commitment to optimizing resources under IPHS 2022 norms and implementing a “hub-and-spoke” model for efficient healthcare delivery.
