Damhal Hanjipora Hospital a grim reminder of ill-conceived plans

Kulgam, Feb 14: A massive deserted structure in Kulgam’s Damhal Hanjpora offers a glaring instance of the government’s ill-conceived plans.

The structure was supposed to be a Sub-District Hospital (SDH) sanctioned in 2008.

However, after a large portion of work was completed, the authorities left the construction halfway through in 2017, citing the inaccessibility of the location as the primary reason. “They said that the location was not feasible for the hospital,” said Amjad Rasheed, a lawyer.

He said that it was strange that the government discarded the project after spending a huge sum of money on the structure. “The building was constructed at a hillock and we learnt that the authorities found that it was not easily approachable,” Rasheed said.

During the unrest of 2016, the protesters torched a police station in the area, following which the government decided to construct the hospital at the state of burnt down station.

The construction work, according to the residents, was taken up in 2017-2018, but it has not been yet completed.

“While the construction work is lingering on, the hospital is currently operated out of a small rundown building,” said Manzoor Ahmad, another resident. The hospital caters to around 1 lakh people in the area, but many crucial posts are lying vacant in the facility, which necessitates frequent referrals.

“The referrals substantially increase the treatment costs of the people,” said Ahmad.

He said that for small procedures, they had to visit district hospitals in Kulgam and Anantnag or sometimes in Srinagar. Dr Rafiq Ahmad Dhobi, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Kulgam, told Greater Kashmir that construction work of the hospital at the new site was in the final leg.

“More than 95 percent of the civil work has been completed,” the official said.