Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today inaugurated a 200-bed additional block at a maternity hospital here and said the health sector has been one of the most important sectors in the past five years.
The work on the Rs 40-crore block at Lalla Ded Hospital started in 2008-09 and has been completed in all respects, a spokesman said.
The spokesman said the civil work involved an expenditure of over Rs 31 crore. The block has a Rs 4.17-crore worth sewage treatment plant, Rs 1.83-crore worth central heating system and Rs 1.22-crore worth water supply system, he said.
The Chief Minister visited various blocks in the hospital and enquired about the welfare of patients and took feedbacks on the treatment being provided to them.
Omar said the health sector has been flagged as one of the most important sectors and, as such, received concentrated attention for improvement, expansion and consolidation during the last five and a half years.
He said attention has been paid to upgrade the medicare facilities at the district, sub-district and other hospitals in the rural areas so that pressure on Srinagar hospitals is reduced.
The Chief Minister said besides creating new infrastructure and modernising the equipment, equal attention is being paid to place qualified doctors and paramedics in the health institutions.
This was the third healthcare facility inaugurated by the Chief Minister in as many days.
On Monday, Omar inaugurated a CT scan, doppler and other modern facilities at Baramulla district hospital. Yesterday, he declared open Beerwa sub-district hospital.
Earlier, the Chief Minister inspected the rennvation work of 154-metre-long old Zero Bridge here under execution at a cost of over Rs 6.41 crore, the spokesman said.
He said the bridge is being renovated as the heritage bridge of Srinagar city.
Omar also took stock of the pace of work on a new bridge under construction over Jehlum river connecting Residency Road to Rajbagh Road here, he said.
