Jammu, Aug 04: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Monday conducted an extensive tour of Jammu city’s major government-run medical institutions to assess and strengthen the healthcare delivery system.
The principals of concerned Medical Colleges, Medical Superintendents, faculty members, Chief Engineer (PWD) and others accompanied the Chief Secretary. The visit aimed to take stock of the patient care facilities being provided in these premier medical facilities and taking on-spot assessment of the status of critical infrastructure projects currently underway to upgrade healthcare services in the region.
The Chief Secretary commenced his visit from the Government Medical College (GMC), Bakshi Nagar, where he inspected the newly constructed 100-bedded Critical Care Block, a vital addition to the hospital’s capacity to handle high-dependency patients. He reviewed the progress on the site of the Department of Interventional Pulmonology and High-End Laboratory (DIPHL).
Afterwards, Dulloo visited the adjoining Bone & Joint Hospital and later the Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital at Shalamar, Jammu. At SMGS, he undertook a detailed inspection of the under-construction 243-bedded Gynaecological Block, being developed at Rs 31.59 crore.
The Chief Secretary was apprised that the new block is poised to significantly strengthen the hospital’s maternal and neonatal care services, with advanced Perinatology and Neonatology units. The facility is expected to reduce the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) besides cutting down the waiting time for planned surgeries considerably.
During the visit, the Chief Secretary also reviewed the functioning and infrastructure of the State Cancer Institute (SCI), Jammu, which is being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 104 crore.
The CS was briefed on other flagship projects taken up at GMC Jammu to further augment specialised patient services, including the establishment of a Catheterisation Laboratory (Cath Lab) and other related infrastructure components.
Earlier, he visited the Government Dental College, Amphalla, where he inspected both the patient care arrangements and the newly constructed infrastructure block.
During the day-long visit, the Chief Secretary emphasised the timely completion of all ongoing works with strict adherence to the set quality standards.
