Jammu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually laid the foundation stone of 13 critical care projects worth Rs 350.25 crore in J&K. Foundation stone for 100-bed critical care block units (CCBUs) were laid at Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, and the District Hospital of Budgam, and 50-bed CCBUs at district hospitals in Kulgam, Pulwama, Kupwara, Reasi, Poonch and Shopian besides the GMCs of Baramulla, Rajouri, Kathua, SKIMS-Bemina (Srinagar) and the Public Health Centre of Sonamarg.
The facilities
The projects include 100-bed critical care block units at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu and District Hospital of Budgam, and 50-bed units in Kulgam, Pulwama, Kupwara, Reasi, Poonch and Shopian besides the GMCs of Baramulla, Rajouri, Kathua, SKIMS-Bemina (Srinagar) and the Public Health Centre, Sonamarg.
Shahpur-Kandi dam project priority: Minister
Union Minister Jitendra Singh says the PM has accorded the highest priority to the Shahpur-Kandi dam project as it has the potential to irrigate thousands of acres of agricultural land in J&K.
On September 8, 2018, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab signed an agreement to resume work on the Shahpur-Kandi dam project, which had been hanging fire for the last 40 years.
He also dedicated six ‘Food Safety on Wheels' amounting to Rs 2.63 crore to the people of the UT through virtual mode from Rajkot in Gujarat. Approved under the PM-ABHIM and the ECRP, the critical care units would provide services of emergency, surgical and intensive care to the patients, an official said. Most of the critical care services are confined to tertiary care level with limited access to secondary care and referral transport systems.
The top five causes of mortality — coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, diarrhoeal diseases and neonatal disorders — shall be managed timely at the level of these units itself, the official said, adding it will not only reduce the burden on tertiary care facilities but will also reduce the out of pocket expenses significantly, the official said.
The Covid pandemic has highlighted the need for critical care facilities, especially at the level of the districts. The official said the current architecture of the public hospitals is not equipped fully to handle the dual burden of meeting critical care needs and maintaining essential services as was seen during the two waves of the Covid pandemic. Many hospital buildings, especially in the districts, do not have provision for segregating a part of the building as an infectious disease treatment blocks, the official said.
