SRINAGAR: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakina Itoo, has directed the Director of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, to address staffing shortages by recruiting paramedics and other medical professionals on a contract basis until regular appointments are made.
Chairing a meeting at the Civil Secretariat to review the performance and functioning of SKIMS, Itoo highlighted the critical need for adequate manpower to maintain the institute’s high standards in patient care, medical education, and research. “Addressing staffing gaps is essential to ensure SKIMS operates at its full potential and continues to deliver advanced healthcare to the people of Kashmir and neighbouring regions,” she said.
The meeting, attended by senior officials from the Health and Medical Education Department, including Secretary Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah and SKIMS Director Dr. Ashraf Ganai, focused on improving infrastructure, patient care, and administrative transparency.
The Minister emphasised the need for transparent processes in recruitment and financial management, urging the administration to update expenditures on the BEAMS portal regularly and coordinate with the Finance Department for timely approvals.
Reviewing infrastructure development at SKIMS, Itoo instructed the administration to expedite ongoing projects to modernise inpatient and outpatient facilities, diagnostic centres, and emergency services. She stressed the importance of decongesting the emergency ward to enhance patient comfort and treatment efficiency.
SKIMS Director Dr. Ashraf Ganai provided a detailed presentation on the institute’s current achievements and future goals. He highlighted that SKIMS would launch liver transplant and neonatal/paediatric cardiac surgery services this year and reported that the institute maintained an 80 per cent bed occupancy rate while admitting over 260 patients daily in the previous year.
