Jammu and Kashmir is among the leading states and Union Territories in terms of health institution density, the government informed the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, while making it clear that there is no proposal at present to establish new healthcare institutions. Instead, the focus will remain on strengthening existing facilities.The information was shared during the ongoing budget session in a written reply to a question by National Conference legislator Mir Saifullah, who had sought to know whether the growing population warrants the establishment of new health institutions or the upgradation of existing ones.
In its reply, the government said J&K currently has one health institution for approximately every 3,500 people, a figure it described as significantly better than the national average of one health institution per 6,000 population. The data, the government said, has been furnished on the basis of a report by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Meanwhile, concerns were raised on the floor of the House regarding the adequacy of healthcare infrastructure in Srinagar district. MLA from Lal Chowk constituency, Ahsan Pardesi, highlighted what he termed as an uneven distribution of medical zones in the city. He argued that the existing setup is under strain due to population growth and requires immediate restructuring.
“Srinagar, with a population of nearly 15 lakh, is being managed by only four medical zones,” Pardesi said. He pointed out that the Batamaloo medical zone alone caters to around 5.5 lakh people with staffing and facilities comparable to much smaller zones. He urged the government to bifurcate the zone to ensure equitable healthcare delivery.
Responding to the concerns, Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Itoo acknowledged the issue but said that the government is currently exploring ways to optimise healthcare delivery using existing infrastructure. She said no additional medical zones or health institutions are being planned at present. “Whenever the government plans to set up more zones, the suggestion will be taken into consideration,” she said.
The Minister added that the administration under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah remains committed to addressing service gaps, noting that Srinagar is served by a network of hospitals, including SKIMS, JLNM and other major facilities.
The government said the existing network of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions has improved access to medical services across both urban and rural areas of J&K.
