Jammu: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, today informed the House that all services of Government Gandhinagar Hospital (GGH) Jammu, like OPD, IPD, OT and Labour Room, have been shifted to the adjoining 200-bedded MCH Hospital Building, located within the same premises from September 2025.
The Minister said this while replying to a question raised by Legislator Vikram Randhawa in the Legislative Assembly today regarding Gandhinagar Hospital.
She informed that at present, only about 50 beds have been earmarked for the hospital services in the adjoining 200-bedded MCH Hospital due to space constraints and the remaining services are managed in coordination with GMC Jammu to ensure uninterrupted medical care.
She added that the 200-bedded Maternity Hospital is providing maternal (Gynae & Obstetrics) and neonatal/paediatrics facilities and functions under the administrative control of GMC Jammu.
The Minister stated that the Public Works department’s Design Inspection & Quality Control (DIQC) conducted a structural safety audit of the old Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar, Jammu. The audit revealed that the 65-year-old building has outlived its useful life.
She added that necessary steps are being taken to restore 160-bed capacity of the Gandhinagar Hospital and making it fully functional for proper patient care.
She also informed that the matter for demolition of the unsafe structure and construction of a new hospital building has been taken up by Director Health Services Jammu with the Public Works (R&B) Department. She also said that a Committee has been framed by the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu to suggest facilities and functional requirements for the new hospital building Building’s layout. She added that the committee’s report along with recommendations will facilitate finalization of the layout and Detailed Project Report (DPR).
HDF workers provide crucial support to J&K healthcare: Health Minister
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo today informed the House that Hospital Development Fund (HDF) workers are continuously serving in the health institutions of J&K. They were engaged to render essential technical and support services to meet immediate functional requirements.
The Minister stated this in reply to a question raised by Legislator, Shabir Ahmad Kullay in Legislative Assembly today regarding Adhoc engagements.
She informed that the HDF workers were engaged on a minimum based honorarium purely on a temporary basis to ensure continuity of services in health institutions where regular staff was not readily available and do not confer any right or claim for regular appointment.
She also said that the department at present has no policy to make likewise further engagements in Health Institutions. Besides there is no proposal under consideration to delegate powers to the concerned Medical Superintendents for making engagements of Junior Resident Doctors/Paramedical staff on an adhoc basis as per requirement on the analogy of Delhi and several other States/UTs, she maintained.
