Work on Doda medical college yet to begin

Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 10

Over three and a half years have passed and the J&K Government is still stuck in the tendering process of Government Medical College (GMC), Doda, which will be built at Ghat village, 5 km from the Doda District Hospital.

This prestigious health institution was announced by the United Progressive Alliance-II (UPA-II) government in February 2014, but not even a single building has been constructed so far.

In 2014, with the change of guards at both the Centre and the state, the work was delayed for three years and it was only on June 10 this year that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda laid the foundation stone of this college.

But even after laying the foundation stone, it took the state government three months to invite tenders. On September 1, two tenders, costing Rs 57 crore and Rs 48 crore for the construction of medical college campus along with hostel and staff quarters, respectively, had been invited.

The purpose of announcing a medical college at Doda was to provide health facilities to over 10 lakh people of the erstwhile Doda district, comprising Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts in the present form, who either have to travel to Jammu or Srinagar for specialised treatment.

According to the official data, over 1,150 people have died and around 6,000 people have been injured in road accidents in Doda and Kishtwar districts since 2010 and the number is ever increasing.

The construction of the GMC, Doda, will help in addressing the health woes of the people, but with the slow pace of process to construct the campus and other structures, people will have to wait for some more time.