SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a major transformation in healthcare infrastructure, medical education and service delivery since 2019, asserting that accessible and affordable quality healthcare has become a reality in the Union Territory.
Addressing the valedictory ceremony of the SKIMS Annual Festival Week in Srinagar, which also marked the commencement of the 29th Post-Graduate Research Presentation Programme (PGRP-2025), the Lieutenant Governor praised the dedication, compassion and sacrifices of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers. He also felicitated PGRP awardees, doctors, nursing staff and employees of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS).
The Lieutenant Governor said systemic reforms undertaken over the past five years had expanded healthcare capacity and addressed long-standing gaps. He noted that while it took nearly seven decades to create 500 MBBS seats in JK, around 800 additional MBBS seats were added within four years. Issues such as the lack of government medical colleges and unaffordable private institutions, he said, were now a thing of the past.
“With bold and systemic reforms between 2020 and 2024, we have made quality healthcare education more accessible,” he said, reiterating the government’s commitment to ensure affordable healthcare, particularly for the underprivileged and residents of far-flung areas.
Highlighting the vision of ‘Health for All’, the Lieutenant Governor called for inclusive, resilient and people-centric healthcare, stressing the need to strengthen the sector through knowledge, innovation and research. He advocated a multidisciplinary approach that addresses physical, mental and social well-being, rather than focusing solely on treatment.
The Lieutenant Governor also lauded the institutional reforms at SKIMS, stating that over 1,100 long-pending promotions had been executed and around 1,300 paramedical and ministerial posts revived and referred, including 120 faculty positions. He said approvals were granted for more than 1,800 DPC promotions, while additional Non-Gazetted and Gazetted posts had been referred to recruiting agencies. SKIMS, he added, is planning future Centres of Excellence in transplant services, emergency and trauma care, neurosciences, cardiac sciences, renal medicine, pulmonary diseases, and endocrine and metabolic disorders.
During the event, the Lieutenant Governor inaugurated several projects at SKIMS, including an Emergency S.M.A.R.T Lab, ICU-VII, a heavy-duty lift and a new firefighting system. He also laid foundation stones for projects such as a Centre for One Health, a 3 MLD sewage treatment plant, multi-level car parking, Attendant Inn Phase-II and a shopping complex for hostels. New digital initiatives were also launched.
Calling for technology-driven reforms, the Lieutenant Governor outlined five goals for healthcare transformation: data-driven care for personalised treatment, robust auditing of patient outcomes, 100 per cent digital health records, a decentralised healthcare model enabling doctors in remote areas to deliver timely care, and greater collaboration to promote preventive health and wellness.
The ceremony was attended by Director SKIMS Prof Mohd Ashraf Ganie, Director PGIMER Chandigarh Prof Vivek Lal, Vice Chancellor Central University of Kashmir Prof A. Ravinder Nath, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg, IGP Kashmir V.K. Birdi, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Akshay Labroo, senior officials, medical professionals, faculty members, students and staff of SKIMS.
