In a major push to decentralise advanced healthcare and bring specialised treatment closer to people, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has laid out an ambitious roadmap to transform newly-established medical colleges into fully equipped tertiary care centres, reducing dependence on a few overburdened institutions.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Sunday chaired a high-level review meeting with leading health experts to assess progress made by the Health & Medical Education Department in strengthening patient care across new medical colleges and district hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by senior officials and experts including representatives from AIIMS Jammu, SKIMS, Government Medical Colleges, National Health Mission, and the State Health Agency.
Reviewing the status of seven newly established medical colleges, the Chief Secretary stressed the urgent need to upgrade these institutions into fully functional tertiary care centres to ensure equitable and accessible healthcare across the Union Territory. He noted that premier hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar alone cannot meet the growing healthcare demands of the population.
Dulloo outlined a clear strategy, directing each institution to prioritise development of six core specialty services in the initial phase—trauma and emergency care, critical care infrastructure including ICUs, HDUs and CCUs, along with cardiology, neurology, nephrology and oncology departments.
He further called for close collaboration between new medical colleges and established centres of excellence such as AIIMS Jammu, SKIMS, and GMCs of Jammu and Srinagar to facilitate capacity building, knowledge sharing and technical support.
Emphasising the role of technology, the Chief Secretary urged stakeholders to adopt Tele-ICU and Tele-Radiology services to strengthen diagnostic and critical care capabilities, particularly in peripheral and underserved areas. He also asked departments to prepare time-bound action plans to achieve targeted outcomes.
Commissioner Secretary H&ME, M. Raju, outlined a phased roadmap for expanding academic capacity through optimal utilisation of existing resources.
Former Director AIIMS Jammu, Dr. Shakti Kumar Gupta, underscored the need to strengthen the three pillars of medical science—teaching, research and patient care—while advocating modern academic practices such as grand rounds and inter-institutional collaboration.
Reiterating the broader vision, the Chief Secretary called for a collective effort to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and ensure affordable, accessible and quality healthcare services for all citizens of Jammu and Kashmir.