SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday called for greater use of technology, preventive healthcare and public-private collaboration to make quality medical services accessible to people in rural and remote areas of the Union Territory.
Sinha was speaking after inaugurating the third edition of the CII Jammu Kashmir Health Conclave, where he outlined a vision of “Health Services Anytime, Anywhere” and urged stakeholders to focus on innovation, resilience and inclusive growth in healthcare.
He cited telemedicine as an example of technology overcoming geographical barriers, referring to an ASHA worker using tele-consultation to connect patients in remote villages with district hospitals. He also called for Jammu and Kashmir to become a testing ground for low-cost, high-impact innovations, including drone-based delivery of medical supplies and solar-powered cold chains for high-altitude health centres.
The Lieutenant Governor identified rising healthcare expenditure among the major challenges facing health systems and advocated a shift towards prevention, early intervention and regular screening to reduce dependence on costly treatment.
“We need to move beyond a system that treats illness to one that protects and promotes health. We must prioritise regular screening, easy access to primary healthcare services and timely treatment,” Sinha said.
He also called for expansion of medical and nursing education, better staffing and reduced administrative burdens on healthcare workers, along with mental-health support and wider use of telemedicine.
Sinha said digital health systems could enable authorised doctors to access patients’ medical histories securely across locations while allowing patients to retain control over access to their information.
Highlighting developments in Jammu and Kashmir’s healthcare infrastructure, he cited the establishment of two AIIMS institutions, 10 medical colleges, two State Cancer Institutes, specialised Bone and Joint and paediatric hospitals, 52 nursing colleges, 23 paramedical colleges and five pharmacy colleges.
He urged the conclave to focus on establishing modern primary health centres in villages and linking them with district-level healthcare networks, besides using artificial intelligence for early disease detection, strengthening disease surveillance and genomic capabilities, and promoting local production of diagnostic kits.
Sinha also stressed the need to strengthen the health workforce through nursing and paramedical institutions, continuous skill development and greater cooperation between the government and private sector.
“Private hospitals and industries associated with the health sector must also join this effort, recognising it as an important task of nation-building,” he said, adding that stronger health systems required the combined capabilities, speed and innovation of both sectors.
The Lieutenant Governor said healthcare development should ultimately be measured by its impact on people’s lives, stressing that advanced treatment and modern facilities must be accessible to all to advance social justice and equality.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Iqram Ali Shafiee, Chairman, CII JK UT Council; Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director, Ujala Cygnus Hospitals; Siddhant Choudhary, Vice Chairman, CII JK; Pervez Ahmad Sofi and Arafat Ahmad Bhat, members of the Board of Directors, Peace and Wellbeing Foundation; Sajad Hussain Lone, members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and healthcare professionals.
GV Sundeep Chakravarthy, SSP Srinagar; Akshay Labroo, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar; and senior officials were also present.
