Early Times Report
Jammu, May 10: In the wake of rising COVID cases and large number of people being admitted to various government hospitals for treatment, Jammu and Kashmir government has planned to revamp the non-operational Sir Col Chopra Nursing Home located adjoining Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu.
Jammu District Administration may soon dedicate the nursing home to treat COVID patients.
Four years on, the Sir Col Chopra Nursing Home was shut and the facility could not be restarted even in the 2020 COVID pandemic to facilitate the patients.
''Entire force at present is engaged in arranging oxygen supply, installation of oxygen plants and infrastructure upgradation to fight the pandemic,'' Dr Shashi Sudan, Principal, Jammu GMC here told UNI.
She said that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the nursing home is ready, Rs 5 crore has also been sanctioned and the work will begin soon
''The final DPR was of Rs 17 cr to completely overhaul the building but initially, we need it urgently because on an average, daily 40 to 50 beds are added on in the various hospitals to treat patients,'' she added.
The Nurshing Home is having a capacity of more than 100 beds, she said, adding that the work will be taken up floor by floor and efforts are in progress 24x7 to provide timely health facilities to the patients.
''Cases are rising everyday and the government hospitals and other nursing homes catering to rush of patients, are falling short of beds, forcing the administration to convert buildings like Saraswati Dham, Yatri Niwas into COVID CARE Centers but the authorities are yet to initiate the exercise of repairing the Sir Col Chopra Nursing Home and make it functional on priority,'' a Health Department official said.
Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Anschul Garg said, ''We have been receiving reports about such hospitals, which are non-functional and infrastructural upgradation in the present situation will be required.''
''It is a time consuming job and our committee is looking after the possibilities to utilise such infrastructure and will take a call accordingly,'' said Mr Garg, adding, ''in the short term it is not feasible but we will plan it at medium term to make such facilities operational.''
However, official sources said that the Nursing Home was closed four years ago in 2017 when a short circuit broke out in the building due to some technical fault.
In 2020, sources said that Rs 5 crore was sanctioned for its furnishing but the funds lapsed and in the current financial year also, Rs 5 crore have been sanctioned but the repair work is yet to begin.
The Nursing Home was constructed 32 years back and was named after Jammu's first scientist, Sir Colonel R N Chopra, who was also known as Father of Indian Pharmacology. There was a provision of AC and non AC rooms for the patients.
The Building was inaugurated on December 21, 1989 by the then Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah with an aim to provide surgeries and other lab tests at affordable rates to the people undergoing a private treatment.
''There are only two government nursing homes in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sir Colonel ChopraNursing Home in Jammu and Kashmir Nursing Home in Srinagar,'' said an official, adding that 'The Kashmir Nursing Home' in Srinagar is presently being used for the treatment of Covid patients, but Sir Col Chopra Nursing Home awaits revamping.
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