New Delhi. In the 100-bed special hospital ( hospital) at the Amarnath Yatra base camp in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, health workers including doctors are working round the clock and ready to deal with any emergency. Last year, 15 people were killed and several others injured in flash floods near the holy cave shrine. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has set up two special hospitals at Baltal in Sonamarg area of Ganderbal in central Kashmir and Chandanwadi camps in Pahalgam area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir.
Both the hospitals are of 100 beds and DRDO has got them ready in a record time of 15 days. He was inaugurated on 28 June by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha. Both makeshift and state-of-the-art hospitals are equipped with advanced equipment, separate blocks for doctors and nursing staff, ICU wards, oxygenated wards and various facilities for all critical medical care
1,200 employees will provide service 24 hours
Chief Medical Officer of Ganderbal Dr. Afroza Shah said at Baltal Hospital that this medical unit has 100 beds. He told PTI that 29 of these beds are equipped with oxygen facility while the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has four beds. He said that the personnel working in the hospital have been brought from all over the country and they have been facilitated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Shah said that around 1,200 health workers are working in this hospital, including people from outside Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the hospital has two separate OPD units for male and female patients.
Ability to deal with disaster
The patients and their assistants visiting the hospital expressed satisfaction over the facilities available in the hospital. Passenger Kushal Goyal, who came from Chandigarh, said, ‘All the facilities in the hospital are very good. I am amazed to see such a well equipped hospital.’ He said, it is just like any other expensive private hospital. When asked whether the hospital is ready to deal with any kind of catastrophic situation like last year, Shah said the unit is ready to deal with any emergency including natural calamity.
Apart from this state-of-the-art hospital, there are four more hospitals on Baltal road, where all kinds of facilities are available. According to the officials, the pilgrims are prepared to deal with any situation including frequent respiratory ailments.