Srinagar, Feb 05: The Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Tral does not have a sanctioned full-fledged blood bank or specialist posts such as cardiologist, radiologist and orthopaedician, the J&K government informed the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
The information was shared by Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo in response to questions raised by MLA Tral Rafiq Ahmad Naik.
Replying to a query on blood facilities, the minister said that while a full-fledged blood bank has not been sanctioned at SDH Tral, a Blood Storage Unit (BSU) with a capacity of 20 units is operational at the hospital. She said the BSU is being utilised for both routine and emergency requirements and functions strictly as per prescribed guidelines to ensure immediate availability of blood. The establishment of a full-fledged blood bank, she added, is subject to policy and feasibility considerations.
On the availability of specialist doctors, the minister said that posts of cardiologist, radiologist and orthopaedician are not sanctioned at SDH Tral. Patients requiring specialised care are referred to higher health institutions following the established referral protocol to ensure timely and appropriate treatment.
Providing details of manpower across health institutions in the Tral constituency, the minister said that information regarding sanctioned strength, staff in position and vacancies of doctors, specialists, paramedical and sanitary staff at SDH Tral and other health facilities has been placed on record as Annexure-A.
She further informed the House that the Health Department has recently referred 480 posts of Medical Officers to the J&K Public Service Commission for recruitment. Once the selection process is completed, the newly appointed doctors will be posted to far-flung and under-served areas, including institutions facing acute staff shortages.
In addition, 292 gazetted and paramedical vacancies under the Directorate of Family Welfare, MCH and Immunization have been referred to recruiting agencies. The minister also said that 802 non-gazetted vacancies in the Kashmir division are under examination in the administrative department and will be referred to the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) for recruitment after obtaining concurrence from the Finance Department.
Sharing data on patient referrals, the minister said that SDH Tral referred a total of 1,845 patients to tertiary hospitals during 2024–25, including 434 antenatal care (ANC) cases and 1,411 other cases. In 2025–26 so far, 1,082 patients have been referred, comprising 244 ANC cases and 838 other cases.
She said the referrals were made strictly on medical grounds, mainly due to the need for advanced diagnostic facilities, specialist intervention and super-speciality care, which are available only at tertiary hospitals. Referrals, she said, are an integral part of the healthcare delivery system and are made in the interest of patient safety.
The minister added that the department is continuously working to strengthen manpower and services at SDH Tral to minimise avoidable referrals wherever feasible.
