AMRITSAR: Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) is planning on war footing to relocate its existing charitable Bhota Hospital located in the Himachal Pradesh to the region of Jammu & Kashmir.
However, the Bhota Charitable Hospital, district Hamirpur, Bhota, is a 75-bed hospital situated on forty-four acres of land, at the crossing of the Shimla–Dharamshala and Una–Mandi roads. The hospital was commissioned on 20 June 1999.
It is informed that around 130, 000 outpatients and 9, 500 patients are being served annually, with basic support facilities of X-rays laboratory, ECG besides free medicines and food. Secondary level medical services are provided here. In case of urgency, patients are referred to appropriate institutions elsewhere for specialty care.
Highly placed sources close to the issue informed that RSSB planning to shift the hospital from Bhota to the Jammu & Kashmir region due to the dire need of quality healthcare service in the region. RSSB prompted to take such a decision when RSSB has faced continued challenges in securing land for the hospital in Himachal Pradesh, aggravated by non-cooperation from the state government and turmoil against the move of HP Govt to provide relief to the RSSB.
At the same time, heaps of requests from Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan Sangat (follower of Radha Soami Satsang Beas) have urged the sect chief Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon, the spiritual head, to setup hospital in the Jammu region.
However, RSSB devotees informed the sect head about the poor healthcare structure and the uneconomical of medical services as major issues, pressing the demand for a facility like the Bhota hospital, which provides free-of-cost treatment to those in need.
The RSSB struggled hard to procure land in the Himachal Pradesh to expand its health services to extend relief to the inhabitants of the region free of cost. In spite of sheer struggles to expand the Bhota hospital, the state government has reportedly shrugged its shoulders to resolve matter related to land acquisition and mandatory permissions. Highly placed sources close to the issue said that inadequate support from local authorities, including the opposition of former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to granting relief to RSSB, has considerably hindered the organization’s ability to expand RSSB charitable healthcare services in the region.
However, RSSB has been offered land in the Jammu and Kashmir region, whereas, J&K region has a heavy population, especially in rural areas facing big challenges with inadequate healthcare services. Majority of the areas lack modern medical infrastructure, and healthcare costs are often exorbitant for the local inhabitants. The Bhota hospital in Himachal Pradesh is well known for its charitable services and free of cost treatment irrespective of caste, creed and religions. Now as per their planning RSSB would address these critical requirements in Jammu, providing a lifeline to the needy of affordable medical care.
The major reason to shift the hospital at J&K as former Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur had allegedly opposed extending relief to RSSB in its land-related matters, further complicating the situation. With no alternative, RSSB is determined to expand its health services with latest high grade infrastructure going to shift.
Devotees and residents of Jammu & Kashmir have welcomed the move, anticipating that a new hospital in the region would bring revolution in the local healthcare system and great help for the under-privileged strata.
It is noteworthy here that on December 20, the Himachal Assembly passed the Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holdings (Amendment) Bill 2024, seeking to amend Section 5 of the Act, allowing the government to transfer land or structure for religious, spiritual or charitable purposes, subject to a maximum limit of 30 acres. The amendment was proposed to facilitate the transfer of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) hospital land at Bhota in Hamirpur to its sister organisation - Maharaj Jagat Singh Medical Relief Society.
Earlier, the hospital's closure sparked widespread protests in November, people, especially women, blocked roads in protest. Following the protests, the CM said the state government would introduce an amendment to the Land Ceiling Act in the Winter Session.