Jammu & Kashmir: Health infrastructure upgraded in rural areas, World Bank helps

People living in the rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir will be provided with the same medical facilities that are available in cities now. Government is constructing 30 new oxygen plants in these far-flung areas and also providing high-standard medical equipment to these primary health hospitals. 

The Jammu and Kashmir government with the help of the World Bank has been able to upgrade the medical Infrastructure in the Kashmir Valley. Previously, the people from rural areas had to come to the city for emergency cases. The inflow to the tertiary hospitals had increased manifold due to the Covid Pandemic. 

And with the grant of 360 crores from the World Bank, people from the rural areas will benefit a lot. They won't have to come down to cities for medical treatments. 

"Covid as a pandemic was a major challenge. The Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) is implementing a 250 million dollar project. 50 million project for covid related infrastructure. We have provided the best medical equipment to the peripheral areas of Kashmir. The primary health centres and district hospitals of these villages will have all the facilities needed.The management has improved remarkably. Patients had to travel from these remote places to Srinagar or Jammu for medical care. But now they won't have to," said Abid Rashid Shah, CEO, ERA

There are 30 new oxygen plants being set up across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. 15 will be constructed in Jammu while the rest in the Kashmir zone. 42 different types of latest Critical Care Medical Equipments have been procured and provided to these facilities. In central Kashmir's Budgam district, ERA is constructing a 500 LPMS oxygen plant at Charar-e-Shareef. This will cater to around 1.5 lakh people living in the area. 

"This project is with regard to providing oxygen plants. There will be 15 plants in the Kashmir valley while 15 will be constructed in Jammu. This plant here in Chahrar-e-Shareef would be providing oxygen to 60 beds in a hospital. This will benefit the people living in villages as they have facilities available nearby now," said Shuja Qureshi, AEE, ERA.

The doctors working in these rural areas have appreciated the step and say that it will help them in treating patients in these primary care centres, district hospitals etc. Earlier any patient requiring high oxygen supply would be sent to a tertiary hospital in Srinagar or Jammu. 

"We had to shift patients from these far flung areas to Srinagar for the requirement of high oxygen supply. Now that we have an oxygen plant here, we don't have to shift them any more. We can manage the patients here only. This is an excellent job done by the government and they made it in record time." said Dr Mushtaq, Surgeon at Sub-Division Hospital. 

The installation of various vital medical equipment at these medical care facilities in the far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir will benefit the people and also take off the load of tertiary hospitals.