Accessible Healthcare a Reality in J&K: LG

Srinagar, Dec 13: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday  said that accessible, affordable and quality healthcare has become a reality in Jammu and Kashmir under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the Union Territory witnessing transformative changes in medical education and public health over the past five years.

Speaking at the valedictory ceremony of SKIMS Annual Festival Week, the Lieutenant Governor said it took nearly seven decades to create 500 MBBS seats in J&K, whereas 800 additional MBBS seats have been added in just four years.

The event also marked the commencement of the 29th Post-Graduate Research Presentation Programme (PGRP-2025) and the felicitation of PGRP awardees, doctors, nursing staff and employees of SKIMS.

LG Sinha said long-pending challenges such as the lack of adequate government medical colleges and the dominance of unaffordable private institutions have now been addressed. He noted that post-2019, J&K has seen massive expansion of healthcare infrastructure, improved hospital facilities, and strengthened primary and secondary healthcare systems, significantly enhancing service delivery in both urban and rural areas.

Reaffirming the administration’s commitment to inclusive development, the Lieutenant Governor said the healthcare sector in J&K is guided by the vision of ‘Health for All’ and called upon the medical fraternity to ensure inclusive, resilient and people-centric healthcare.

He also lauded the transformation of SKIMS over the last 4–5 years, highlighting the execution of over 1,100 long-pending promotions, revival and referral of around 1,300 paramedical and ministerial posts, including 120 faculty positions, and clearance of over 1,800 DPC promotions. Additional Gazetted and Non-Gazetted posts have also been referred to recruiting agencies. SKIMS, he said, 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.

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.

Outlining five goals for healthcare transformation, LG Sinha said priority must be given to data-driven care for personalized treatment, robust auditing of patient outcomes, 100 per cent digital health records, a decentralized healthcare system for remote areas, and collective efforts to promote preventive health and wellness in society.