Srinagar, Aug 12 (KNS): Member of Parliament Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan on Wednesday urged Union Health Minister J P Nadda to expedite approval for a 75-bedded Critical Care Block (CCB) and a District Integrated Public Health Laboratory (DIPHL) at Government Medical College (GMC), Handwara, under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM).
Ramzan met Nadda and sought his intervention for early sanction of the proposed facilities, which he said would strengthen critical care and diagnostic services in the remote and underserved areas of Kupwara district.
During the meeting, the MP apprised the Union minister that the Jammu and Kashmir Health and Medical Education Department has already submitted a proposal for the establishment of the facilities.
Ramzan highlighted that GMC Handwara caters to a large population from remote areas of Kupwara, where the lack of a dedicated critical care facility often forces critically ill patients to be referred to distant hospitals.
Such referrals result in delays in treatment and cause considerable hardship to patients and their families, he said.
The MP requested Nadda to accord early approval and sanction to the proposal, along with the requisite equipment, saying the facilities would ensure timely treatment and diagnostic services closer to patients' homes.
Nadda assured Ramzan that the matter would be accorded due priority and necessary action would be taken at the appropriate level, according to a statement.(KNS)