Anantnag, Oct 22: Nearly two years after approval, Anantnag’s proposed 249-bed maternity and child care hospital remains stalled over land availability with the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah saying, on Thursday that the Mirza Afzal Beg Memorial (MAMB) -GMC Janglat Mandi site may be insufficient despite funds being ready.
The impasse leaves patients dependent on an overcrowded maternity hospital where doctors report that two to three patients sometimes share a bed.
“Work on the proposed maternity and child hospital (MCCH) in Anantnag requires a feasible alternative site, as the land identified at MAMB Janglat Mandi may not be sufficient for the project. Funds are ready, and the department will work to identify a suitable location so construction can begin at the earliest,” Omar told reporters after the Anantnag District Development Board meeting.
The Health and Medical Education Department initiated the project in November 2024, directing the Public Works Department (PWD) to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and fast-track construction at the Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg Memorial (MAMB) campus of Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag hospital.
The initial DPR of Rs 86.5 crore was returned by the Finance Department for clarification on the funding source and inclusion of furniture and furnishings.
The project cost was subsequently revised to Rs 94.44 crore.
The revised DPR was forwarded to the GMC principal on April 1, ths year and subsequently sent to the Health Secretary, with copies to the Finance Secretary and Director of Health Services.
Officials had earlier said administrative approval and formal release of funds were pending.
Around 4.5 kanal had initially been demarcated at MAMB Janglat Mandi, where the hospital was planned to be connected to Block A.
However, the proposed site in the campus already houses a nursing home and oxygen plants nearby.
A critical care unit and an oncology block are also under construction and a sewage treatment plant (STP) is planned, leaving limited space for the proposed hospital.
Alternative locations considered include the GMC main campus at Dialgam, the existing Sherbagh site after dismantling its dilapidated maternity hospital structures, and Rehmat-e-Alam Hospital at Sarnal on KP Road.
The delay has prolonged reliance on Sherbagh maternity hospital, which the PWD and Fire and Emergency Services declared unsafe in 2014.
Built for 40 beds, the facility handles more than 40,000 outpatient visits and around 7000 admissions every month.
The paediatric section was shifted to GMC-MAMB’s already congested A Block last year following repeated fires in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
However, a proposal to shift maternity services to Rehmat-e-Alam Hospital was shelved after structural assessments by IIT Jammu and NIT Srinagar found the building unsuitable under post-2005 earthquake safety standards.
During the February budget session, the government told the Assembly that Rs 5 crore had been earmarked for the project under the 2025-26 CAPEX budget.
It also said the hospital could be taken up under the SASCI scheme in 2026-27.
Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo had said construction would begin once the land was finalised.
With the MAMB Janglat Mandi site facing space constraints and no alternative location finalised, the hospital remains on hold despite the Chief Minister’s assurance that funds are ready.
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