Jammu, Feb 03 (KINS): The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Tuesday informed the Legislative Assembly that Srinagar district, with a population of over 15 lakh, is presently functioning with one Medical Block and four Medical Zones, and there is no proposal under consideration to create constituency-wise Medical Blocks at this stage.
Replying to Starred Assembly Question No. 120 tabled by MLA Sheikh Ahsan Ahmad, Minister in-charge, Health and Medical Education Department, as per news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) in a written reply stated that it is a fact that District Srinagar has only one Medical Block and four Medical Zones, all functioning directly under the administrative control of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Srinagar.
However, the government maintained that the existing administrative setup has not caused any major difficulties. It said that the administrative, supervisory and field-level implementation of health programmes in the district is being carried out smoothly and satisfactorily with the available manpower and infrastructure, and no major impediments in healthcare delivery have been reported so far.
The House was informed that the four Medical Zones and one Medical Block collectively cater to all eight Assembly constituencies of Srinagar. The constituency-wise coverage includes Zonal Medical Officer Batamaloo covering Chanapora, Lal Chowk and Central Shalteng; Zonal Medical Officer SR Gunj covering Kanyar, Eidgah and Habbakadal; Zonal Medical Officer Khanyar covering Khanyar and Habbakadal; Zonal Medical Officer Zadibal covering Zadibal constituency; and Block Medical Officer Hazratbal catering to Hazratbal.
Responding to the query on whether the government plans to create at least eight constituency-wise Medical Blocks for better decentralisation and supervision, the department clarified that no such proposal is currently under consideration.
The government attributed this to the presence of major tertiary and secondary healthcare institutions in Srinagar, including JLNM Hospital, SKIMS Hospital, SKIMS Medical College, SMHS Hospital, Gousia Hospital and SKIMS Bemina, which significantly strengthen healthcare delivery and patient management across the district.
It added that any future decision regarding restructuring or creation of additional Medical Blocks would be taken based on administrative requirements, population needs and availability of resources.(KINS)
