Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Dec 04 : Orthopaedic treatment facilities in Kashmir are set for a major upgrade as a new 160-bed block at the Bone and Joint Hospital Barzulla, Srinagar, nears completion with critical medical equipment being installed.
An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the largest orthopaedic hospital in the valley is set for a substantial infrastructural boost with the new state-of-the-art 160-bed block, which has been completed, and the finishing touches are now being applied.
The block has been constructed under the Strengthening of the Critical Infrastructure component of the World Bank-funded JTFRP (Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project).
“The project began in 2019 after being approved in 2015,” the official said. “The hospital suffered major damage in the 2014 floods, with one building declared unsafe. Further infrastructure damage occurred due to a fire incident in 2022.”
The new building, featuring a G+5 structure with modern earthquake-resilient technology, includes modular operation theatres, a laminar flow system, TSSU (Theatre Sterile Supply Unit), ICU, pre- and post-operation care wards, CSSD (Central Sterile Supply Department), specialised laundry, a pneumatic tube system and a waste collection system.
“The hospital will also have an IGBC (India Green Building Council) rating and a biomedical waste management system designed to handle 140 kg of waste per day, disposed of scientifically. Provisions for STP/ETP (Sewerage Treatment Plant & Effluent Treatment Plant) construction are also included in the sub-project,” he added.
The hospital will incorporate a pneumatic transit system for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir. “Widely used in hospitals globally, pneumatic tube systems efficiently transport medical items such as blood samples and supplies between floors or departments, minimizing costs and risks associated with manual handling,” the official informed.
He said the sub-project, assigned to NPCC (National Projects Construction Corporation) at a cost of Rs 88.94 crore, includes modern concepts in healthcare infrastructure such as environmental designs, patient well-being, macro/micro-level zoning, scope for future development and optimal area utilisation.
The hospital’s design was finalised after extensive consultations with national health infrastructure experts, the health department, and hospital administration. Inputs from these consultations were incorporated into the final design.
The official said the main superstructure is complete, with finishing works ongoing, while critical medical equipment is being installed. The hospital is expected to start operating from the new block very soon, he added.
Doctors at the hospital told KNO that since the 2022 fire, they have struggled to manage the large influx of patients. “The completion of the new building with modern facilities will be a relief for both patients and doctors,” they said, adding that the hospital’s OPD receives around 1,000 patients daily from various parts of Jammu & Kashmir and even Ladakh—(KNO)
