Srinagar, Sep 30 (KNO): The Jammu and Kashmir government has said there is currently no proposal to upgrade the Bone and Joint Hospital, Jammu, into an independent super-specialty orthopaedic and trauma care institute, while acknowledging the need to strengthen manpower and services at the 182-bed facility.
The Health and Medical Education Department, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), provided the information in a written reply to a question raised by BJP MLA Arvind Gupta in the Assembly.
The government said the hospital, which became operational in 2023, was established to provide tertiary-level orthopaedic care and requires additional manpower to further strengthen its services.
Replying to the query, the department clarified that no proposal is under consideration to establish or upgrade the Bone and Joint Hospital as an independent super-specialty orthopaedic and trauma care institute.
It said accident and trauma cases are being managed by Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital, Bakshi Nagar, and its associated hospitals, including the Bone and Joint Hospital, depending on the nature of the case.
The government also ruled out any ongoing Phase-II expansion project for the hospital.
However, it said 299 new posts have been proposed in two phases to strengthen healthcare services at the facility. Of these, 154 posts have been proposed in the first phase and 145 in the second.
According to the reply, the proposal for 154 posts under Phase I, involving an annual financial implication of Rs 11.71 crore, has been submitted to the Finance Department after addressing its observations.
The posts will be sanctioned after financial concurrence and approval from the competent authority. The government said the additional manpower would help improve service delivery within the existing infrastructure.
On the demand for a separate budget and independent administrative control, the government said the matter has been taken up with the Finance Department, which advised the creation of a separate budget head for the hospital.
The proposal is currently under process. Until a separate budget head and Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) powers are created, the Principal of GMC Jammu has been asked to continue meeting the hospital's financial requirements through the existing budget mechanism—(KNO)