SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday called for a balanced healthcare strategy that combines the development of advanced quaternary care with stronger primary and secondary healthcare services across Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the valedictory function of the three-day Quaternary Healthcare & Research Summit: 4th J&K Medical Conference-2026 at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), Omar said strengthening healthcare at the grassroots was essential to reduce the burden on tertiary institutions.
He said upgrading premier institutions such as Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) to quaternary care would enhance their capacity to provide highly specialised treatment, but alone would not resolve the pressures faced by them.
“While there are certain aspects of quality care that can certainly be improved by upgrading SKIMS to a quaternary healthcare institution, the fact is that it will not resolve the pressures that SKIMS finds itself under,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the pressure on tertiary institutions was largely due to weaknesses at the primary and secondary levels, resulting in premier hospitals handling procedures that could otherwise be performed at lower levels.
He cited routine surgeries such as gallbladder and appendicitis operations as examples of procedures adding to the workload of tertiary institutions.
“This defeats the purpose of the entire three-tier model of tertiary, secondary and primary healthcare,” Omar said, stressing that the foundation of the healthcare system needed to be strengthened for both tertiary and quaternary institutions to function effectively.
The summit, held from August 25 to 27, was organised by SKIMS, Soura, under the aegis of NITI Aayog in collaboration with AIIMS New Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh, AIIMS Jammu and AIIMS Awantipora.
Omar said providing quality healthcare to citizens was one of the fundamental obligations of the government and called for ensuring access to good-quality basic healthcare beyond Jammu and Srinagar.
“We need to ensure good quality healthcare in rural J&K,” he said, adding that the objective was not to replicate SKIMS-level specialised care in every rural area but to ensure quality basic healthcare across the region.
He also stressed the need to ensure that patients from J&K did not have to travel outside the Union Territory for advanced treatment.
Recalling the objective behind the establishment of SKIMS, Omar said the institution was created to provide the best possible healthcare to needy patients within J&K.
“That is what we hope going ahead as SKIMS transitions from tertiary care to the fourth tier,” he said, assuring that the government would make every possible effort, within its financial limitations, to provide SKIMS with the infrastructure required for its next phase of development.
The Chief Minister also highlighted infrastructure as a key factor in attracting and retaining skilled medical professionals. He said J&K had highly capable doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, but many professionals sought opportunities outside due to limitations in facilities and infrastructure.
He called for creating conditions that could facilitate a “reverse brain drain” by encouraging doctors from J&K working outside to return and contribute to the healthcare system.
“How do we ensure that we provide the best possible facilities, the best possible infrastructure so that we can create a situation where tomorrow there is a reverse brain drain?” he asked.
Omar said collaboration with leading institutions such as AIIMS New Delhi and PGIMER Chandigarh would help strengthen J&K’s advanced healthcare ecosystem and contribute towards the vision of a developed India by 2047.
He also urged that the recommendations emerging from the summit should translate into concrete action.
“I hope that the recommendations are not only a theoretical exercise but are put in a shape where they can be given practical implementation,” he said.
On the occasion, Omar released the book Platinum Pearls in General Surgery Super Specialities and the souvenir SKIMS Journey of Transformation. He also presented awards to nine winners in the Quiz Competition, Poster Presentation and Oral Presentation categories.
Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakeena Masood Itoo, MLA Pampore Retd Justice Hasnain Masoodi, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Director SKIMS Prof Dr Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, Dean SKIMS Medical College Prof Dr Fazlul Q. Parray and Organizing Co-Chair Prof Dr Aejaz Ahsan Baba were present.
Former SKIMS directors, faculty members, officers of SKIMS and officials of the Health and Medical Education Department also attended the valedictory ceremony.
The conference brought together medical institutions, clinicians, researchers, policymakers and healthcare professionals to deliberate on advanced care, research, institutional collaboration and the roadmap for developing a quaternary healthcare ecosystem in J&K.
