• Says Accessible, Affordable Quality Healthcare Is Now a Reality in J&K
• ‘Over 1,100 Pending Promotions Cleared at SKIMS In 5 Yrs’

Srinagar- Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed unprecedented expansion in medical education and healthcare infrastructure over the past few years, 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, the Lieutenant Governor said it took nearly seven decades to create 500 MBBS seats in J&K, while 800 additional seats were created within just four years through focused reforms.

“We have brought transformative change to J&K’s medical education and public health landscape in the last five years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Sinha said, adding that long-standing issues such as the absence of government medical colleges and the dominance of unaffordable private institutions have been addressed.

The Lieutenant Governor said systemic reforms undertaken between 2020 and 2024 have made quality healthcare education more accessible across the region, benefiting students from economically weaker sections and remote areas.

Reiterating the government’s commitment to inclusive healthcare, Sinha said special focus is being placed on ensuring affordable medical services for underprivileged populations and those living in far-flung regions of the Union Territory.

Calling upon the healthcare fraternity to work towards a people-centric system, the Lieutenant Governor said healthcare delivery must go beyond treatment of illness to include physical, mental and social well-being. He emphasised the need for strengthening research, innovation and multidisciplinary approaches in the sector.

The Lieutenant Governor also highlighted the transformation of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences over the last four to five years. He said over 1,100 long-pending promotions were cleared, while around 1,300 paramedical and ministerial posts were revived and referred, including 120 faculty positions. Clearance was also given to more than 1,800 Departmental Promotion Committee cases, and additional non-gazetted and gazetted posts were referred to recruiting agencies.

Sinha said SKIMS is planning to establish 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 including 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 on the occasion.

Outlining a roadmap for healthcare transformation, Sinha said the government has identified five priority goals, including data-driven personalised care, robust auditing of patient treatment and outcomes, complete digitisation of medical records, decentralised healthcare delivery for remote areas, and stronger focus on preventive health and wellness.

The event was attended by Director SKIMS Prof Mohammad 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.