SRINAGAR, May 22: A new state of art children hospital would be set up near Kashmir’s main SMHS hospital, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said on Tuesday, days after
protests over 360 infants deaths in the valley.

“We are now constructing a new children’s hospital near SMHS hospital on modern lines. This will help to dovetail the facilities and reduce the distance of children’s
hospital from Lal Ded (maternity hospital),” Omar said during an interaction with civil society members here last evening.

Omar criticised the decision to move G B Pant Children’s hospital to Sonawar from Lal Ded Hospital Wazir Bagh saying it made the health care facility for infants distant from
the maternity hospital.

“The shifting of children’s hospital from Lal Ded to G B Panth hospital was not in fact a good decision. It not only made the hospital distant but reduced the bed strength from
180 to 110,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the major failure in reporting the condition and status of the hospital by the concerned management to the top level in the government made the
things worst.

“Soon I received the details of shortcomings of the hospital, immediate measures both on administrative and service delivery disciplines were taken and we expect
improvement within days,” he said.

More than 360 children have died at the G B Panth hospital since the beginning of this year while 895 had died during the last year.