JAMMU: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on December 13 appreciated the unwavering dedication, compassion and personal sacrifices of the medical community to care for others and thereby contributing to the nation’s growth. He was speaking at the valedictory ceremony of SKIMS Annual Festival Week in Srinagar. The event also marked the commencement of 29th Post-Graduate Research Presentation Programme (PGRP-2025) and felicitation of PGRP Awardees, doctors, nursing staffs and SKIMS employees by Sinha.
It needs to be mentioned here that SKIMS is the only tertiary care hospital in the state sector in the Union Territory (UT) of J&K. Set up in Srinagar city of the Kashmir division over four decades ago, no similar hospital was ever planned or set up by successive governments in the Jammu division. That is the step-motherly treatment that Jammu has always received in the hands of Kashmir-centric development model that has been followed in J&K for several decades. After the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, this preferential treatment to the Kashmir region is getting corrected over the years slowly.
In his address, the LG highlighted that J&K has witnessed a massive infrastructure expansion and innovative solutions in healthcare post 2019. “Accessible and affordable quality healthcare has turned into a reality under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji. We have brought transformative change to J&K’s medical education and public health landscape in the last five years. It took almost seven decades to create 500 MBBS seats. We have created 800 additional MBBS seats within four years,” Mr Sinha said.
The LG stated that major issues like lack of government medical colleges and unaffordable private institutions are a thing of the past. “With bold and systemic reforms between 2020 to 2024, we have made quality healthcare education more accessible,” he said.
Sinha reiterated his commitment to ensure quality healthcare is accessible and affordable to all the citizens, especially the underprivileged and those living in far-flung areas. Guided by the vision of ‘Health for All’, the LG called upon the healthcare fraternity to ensure inclusive, resilient, and people-centric healthcare. “We must enrich the healthcare sector through knowledge, innovation, and research. A multi-disciplinary approach that goes beyond treating illness should be adopted to address the physical, mental, and social well-being of individuals,” the LG said.
Sinha also lauded the transformation of SKIMS in the last four to five years and its significant contribution to public health and medical education. He observed that over 1,100 long-pending promotions were executed and around 1,300 para-medical and ministerial posts were revived and referred, including 120 Faculty positions. Clearance given to over 1,800 DPC promotions and additional 367 Non-Gazetted and 159 Gazetted posts were referred to recruiting agencies. SKIMS is also planning to set up Future-Centres of Excellence in transplant services, emergency & trauma care, neurosciences, cardiac sciences, renal medicine, and pulmonary diseases, endocrine and metabolic disorders.
The LG inaugurated various projects for SKIMS, including commissioning of Emergency S.M.A.R.T Lab; ICU-VII, Heavy Duty Lift and a new Firefighting System. Foundation stones were laid by the LG for several projects for SKIMS. These projects include Centre for One Health, 3 MLD sewage treatment plant, Multi-level Car Parking, Attendant Inn- Phase II and Shopping Complex for Hostels. New digital initiatives at SKIMS were also launched on the occasion.
The LG called for adopting a multifaceted approach leveraging cutting-edge technology to develop new healthcare models and enhance accessibility. He also set five goals for healthcare transformation.
“Data-driven care should be our first goal for personalized treatment and precision medicine. The second goal is to implement a robust system for auditing patient treatment and outcomes. Third, to ensure 100 per cent digital records for better treatment and foster a sense of empowerment in patients. The fourth goal is to develop a decentralized healthcare system that enables doctors in remote villages to provide timely treatment, specifically tailored to patient needs. Fifth, the medical community must collaborate to promote preventive health and wellness in society”, Sinha emphasised.
Prof. Mohd Ashraf Ganie, Director SKIMS; Prof. Vivek Lal, Director, PGIMER Chandigarh; Prof. A. Ravinder Nath, Vice Chancellor Central University of Kashmir; Shri Anshul Garg, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Shri VK Birdi, IGP Kashmir; Shri Akshay Labroo, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, senior officials, medical professionals, Heads of Departments, faculty, students and staff of SKIMS attended the valedictory ceremony.
