SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government told the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday that Sub-District Hospital Dawar in Gurez is not yet designated as a first referral unit and that patients from the Tulail area who require specialised care continue to be sent to District Hospital Bandipora, roughly 150 kilometres away.
The reply, provided in response to a starred question by MLA Nazir Ahmad Khan, said District Hospital Bandipora is the designated referral hospital for the Gurez constituency. Patients from Tulail are first examined and treated at SDH Dawar; only those cases needing services beyond the hospital’s sanctioned infrastructure and manpower are referred on to Bandipora as per established referral protocols.
The government emphasised that SDH Dawar is functioning as a Sub-District Hospital and currently provides primary and secondary level care within its sanctioned capacity. However, it has not been notified as a first referral unit because designation requires fulfilment of criteria laid down by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India — including availability of required specialists, infrastructure, equipment and support services.
The Assembly reply did not provide a timeline for upgrading or notifying SDH Dawar as a first referral unit. It noted that designation “depends upon fulfilment of the laid down criteria” and is contingent on meeting the prescribed norms.
MLA Nazir Ahmad Khan had asked whether the absence of a designation for SDH Dawar imposed hardship on patients forced to travel to Bandipora. The government response confirmed the referral practice but confined itself to procedural and normative reasons for non-designation, without committing to specific remedial steps or dates for compliance.
