Anantnag, Dec 15 (KNS): J&K Peoples Movement (JKPM) has criticized the government for ignoring the health requirements of the people of Anantnag.

In a statement issued to KNS, JKPM Vice President Solicitor Syed Iqbal Tahir said that the non-availability of facilities and understaffed hospitals in Anantnag speaks about the poor state of affairs. 

He said that the district hospital Anantnag is the most crowded health facility in the south Kashmir region as it caters to adjacent districts like Shopian and Kulgam and also several areas of Pir Panjal and Chenab valley. He further added that there are a lot of issues plaguing the district hospital as it suffers due to a lack of super-specialist staff in various departments including urology, gastroenterology, neurosurgery etc. The hospital also suffers from infrastructure issues due to the lack of various facilities.

Iqbal Tahir further said that there is no clarity on the completion of Rehmat Alam hospital. “In February 2017, the government accorded sanction to taking over the building but the work on the hospital was stopped midway, mainly due to paucity of funds. However, early last year, the administration sanctioned Rs 9 crore more for the project. But the work again remained on halt due to the pending safety audit report. Now there is no clarity about the project and people are suffering”, Iqbal Tahir said while demanding an early resumption of the work on the Rehmat Alam hospital. (KNS)