by Mir Rameez Raja
SRINAGAR: Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar and its associated hospitals, including SMHS, LD, and the Children’s Hospital Bemina, are set for a series of infrastructure upgrades and new projects under the Capex Budget, with a focus on improving patient care, medical education, and hospital facilities.
According to official documents, projects worth several crores are in the pipeline, with funds provisioned for the financial year 2025–26. Many of these proposals are currently pending technical approval with the Chief Engineer and respective executive divisions.
One of the biggest projects on the list is the construction of an overhead bridge connecting SMHS Hospital with the Super Speciality Hospital Srinagar, with a tentative cost of Rs. 17.50 crore. This long-pending demand aims to provide seamless connectivity between the two institutions and improve patient transfer and staff movement. An allocation of Rs. 0.60 crore has been earmarked initially, with the RB Division Karan Nagar tasked with execution.
In addition, SMHS Hospital is expected to see a multi-storey block for the Medicine Department at an estimated cost of Rs. 4.95 crore. The facility will help accommodate the increasing patient load and offer advanced treatment facilities. The Capex Budget has provisioned Rs. 1.98 crore for the project in 2025–26.
For medical students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, work is proposed for logistic support in operationalising hostels at GMC Srinagar, costing Rs. 1.50 crore, with Rs. 0.60 crore provisioned for the coming year. Similarly, the internal chain link fencing of the Boys/Doctors Hostel at Bemina, estimated at Rs. 1.02 crore, has been sanctioned with Rs. 0.65 crore allocated.
Patient-centric improvements are also on the agenda. At SMHS, the medical triage area is being extended and remodelled with a cost of Rs. 0.75 crore, for which Rs. 0.60 crore has been kept aside. Alongside, CCTV cameras and floodlights will be installed at various points across GMC Srinagar at a cost of Rs. 0.70 crore. A specialised bunker for installation of a high dose-rate brachytherapy system at the Radiation Oncology department of SMHS is also planned, with a cost of Rs. 0.50 crore.
The LD Hospital project list includes phase one construction of a new MRD/Lunger/Administrative block at a cost of Rs. 0.10 crore. Meanwhile, the Children’s Hospital Bemina will see a cluster of small but critical projects: an additional block to house an oxygen plant, canteen, and store (Rs. 0.18 crore), upgradation of the main OPD entrance to create a waiting area (Rs. 0.25 crore), and other allied works.
In terms of biomedical safety, SMHS Hospital will also get a scientifically designed bio-medical waste storage and dumping site with colour-coded compartments, at an estimated cost of Rs. 0.10 crore, to be executed by the RB Division Rajbagh.
Further, departments within GMC are also scheduled for upgrades. The conference hall of the Medicine Department at SMHS will undergo beautification and modernisation at a cost of Rs. 0.10 crore.
Officials said that while the projects vary in scale—from large infrastructure like the overhead bridge and multi-storey medicine block to smaller but crucial safety and patient care initiatives like waste management and CCTV installations—they collectively represent a significant push to modernise GMC Srinagar and its associated hospitals.
Execution responsibility lies largely with the Roads and Buildings (RB) divisions of Karan Nagar, Bemina, and Rajbagh, apart from the Electrical Hospital Division for the CCTV and lighting works.
The cumulative outlay across all these initiatives runs into more than Rs. 25 crore, marking one of the most comprehensive infrastructure expansion phases for GMC Srinagar in recent years.
