Srinagar, Mar 22 (KNO): The Jammu and Kashmir Government has turned down the demand to upgrade the Batamaloo Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Srinagar to a Sub-District Hospital (SDH), stating that the facility does not meet the required population norms.
The response, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), came during the ongoing Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly, where Congress MLA from Batamaloo, Tariq Hameed Karra, had raised the issue.
In a written reply, Minister In-Charge, Health & Medical Education department stated that Batamaloo PHC caters to a catchment population of approximately 50,000—far below the 1.5 lakh required for an SDH. "As per population norms, the PHC does not qualify for an upgrade," the reply stated.
The government further justified its decision by citing the presence of multiple higher healthcare institutions within a short radius. "The facility is located within 2-6 km of major tertiary hospitals like GMC Srinagar, SKIMS, SMHS, and LD Hospital, making an SDH unnecessary in this area," the reply said.
However, MLA Karra, in his question, contested the government's claim, arguing that Batamaloo PHC serves a much larger population than reported. "Whether it is also a fact that the said PHC has a catchment area consisting of more than three lakh population and qualification for an SDH is only 1.5 lakh," he asserted.
As per the government’s response, the health institution at Batamaloo was upgraded to the level of PHC and is functional with 12 sanctioned posts of various levels and 9 in-position (including 2 medical officers and 2 dental surgeons) from the regular side and 16 sanctioned posts from the NHM side, which are all in place.
The response further added that the PHC Batamaloo has sufficient infrastructure as is required for smooth functioning of a UPHC. The building is a 4-story structure with bed strength raised to 56 during Covid time—(KNO)