Proposal for trauma hospital at Lawaypora wasn’t approved by Health ministry: H&ME

Srinagar, March 15: The Health and Medical Education Department has informed the Jammu and Kashmir Govt. that the proposal for Trauma Hospital at Lawaypora was not approved by Union Health Ministry and presently functions as a NTPHC.
The information was provided by the department in the Legislative Assembly in response to a starred question raised by MLA Tariq Hameed Kara on the non-availability of trauma care on the National Highway which is an accident-prone area.
The house was informed that Trauma Hospital at Lawaypora Srinagar was conceptualized to strengthen trauma & accidental care along the National Highway. However, the said proposal was not approved by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India.
“Presently, an NTPHC is functioning at Lawaypora which is handling basic emergency cases, stabilizing patients before referring them to higher-tier hospitals, and delivering services like vaccination, minor injuries care, and public health campaigns, including maternal health initiatives,” the reply said.
It further said the trauma and emergency care of the area is being catered JVC hospital, a tertiary care health institution, which is only 8 km away from NTPHC Lawaypora. JVC SKIMS Medical College a 360-bedded hospital with 100 beds available for emergency care.
GMC Srinagar is 10 km away. In addition, 108 ambulance service is operational in the area to cater to emergencies, particularly in accident-prone zones.
The MLA inquired whether the government had released funds for the construction of the Lawaypora hospital. In response, it was stated that the hospital building was initiated in 2006-07 under Capex with an estimated cost of Rs. 641.00 lakhs. Of this amount, Rs. 541.00 lakhs has been utilized, and the G+3 building structure was completed in 2014.
Pertinently, the trauma hospital requires specialized manpower like neurosurgeons, anesthetists, orthopedics and other allied support staff, besides high-end equipment and modular OTs, which cannot be made available at all places. “It is necessary to utilize and share resources of adjoining places where such facilities exist.”
The house was also informed that the G+3 building was completed during 2014 and is presently being utilized as a New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) for providing comprehensive primary healthcare services as proposal for the Trauma Hospital could not materialize due to the reasons. “The requisite infrastructure, including beds, machinery, equipment, and staff required for NTPHC, is also available.”
Further, the building structure can be optimally utilized for residential accommodation facility for doctors, paramedics, DNB/PG/UG students, etc., which shall ensure the availability of doctors/paramedics in the said facility in the interest of patient care and for providing drug de-addiction, rehabilitation, and counseling services.