Anantnag, Dec 23 (KNO): The Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH) in Anantnag, which caters to patients from four south Kashmir districts as well as Ramban and the Chenab Valley, has been functioning from an unsafe building since 2014. Despite repeated concerns, the hospital continues to struggle with space constraints and a host of other challenges, severely affecting patient care.
Located in the congested Sherbagh locality, the hospital has been forced to place beds in corridors to accommodate the influx of patients.
Officials informed the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that more than 100 patients are admitted nightly in its labour and surgical wards, with thousands visiting the hospital's outpatient department (OPD) daily.
The hospital's infrastructure, which is already thin, includes just two labour wards, four surgical wards, and an operation theatre to serve the growing number of patients. Hospital staff said that multiple patients often share single beds, which leads to overcrowding, noise and congestion.
“The building in which the MCCH is currently operating was declared unsafe by the Fire and Services Department nearly a decade ago. If an incident occurs under these conditions, who will be held accountable?” one official asked.
Officials said a government decision to shift the hospital to the district hospital was revoked within 24 hours, allegedly due to political interference.
Seven years ago, plans were made to move the hospital to the Rehmat-e-Alam Trust building in the Sarnal area of Anantnag. However, the move has yet to materialise. Although Rs 13 crore was spent on constructing two additional floors for the building, a safety assessment by IIT Jammu revealed that it failed to meet post-2005 earthquake safety standards.
The institute recommended retrofitting and reinforcing the beams of the older floors at an estimated cost of Rs 8 crore. However, this proposal was shelved, leaving the hospital to continue operations in the unsafe Sherbagh building.
Currently, the hospital manages over 50,000 patients in its OPD and around 10,000 indoor patients every month.
Staff at the MCCH said both patients and medical personnel face challenges but added that shifting the hospital is beyond their control. “Every day, thousands of patients from far-off places in south Kashmir and even Jammu division come here. Despite the challenges, we are managing,” one staff member said.
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakina Itoo recently visited the hospital and assured that the issue is being addressed. She said a healthcare system must be free from political interference to ensure efficient service delivery.
Speaking about the dilapidated state of the MCCH, the minister said, “I have discussed this with local representatives, and we are hopeful that a solution will be reached soon that benefits all parties involved.”—(KNO)