Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday appreciated the unwavering dedication, compassion, and personal sacrifice of the medical community in caring for others and contributing to the nation’s growth.
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Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday appreciated the unwavering dedication, compassion, and personal sacrifice of the medical community in caring for others and contributing to the nation’s growth.
The Lieutenant Governor was speaking at the Valedictory Ceremony of the SKIMS Annual Festival Week in Srinagar.
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The occasion 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 by the Lieutenant Governor.
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Highlighting the progress made in the healthcare sector, the Lieutenant Governor said that Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed massive infrastructure expansion and the introduction of innovative healthcare solutions post-2019.
“Accessible and affordable quality healthcare has become a reality under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji. We have brought transformative changes to J&K’s medical education and public health landscape over the last five years. It took nearly seven decades to create 500 MBBS seats, whereas we have added 800 MBBS seats within just four years,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor stated that major challenges such as the lack of government medical colleges and the dominance of unaffordable private institutions are now things of the past.
“With bold and systemic reforms undertaken between 2020 and 2024, we have made quality healthcare education more accessible,” he added.
Reiterating his commitment, the Lieutenant Governor said that ensuring accessible and affordable quality healthcare for all citizens, especially the underprivileged and those living in far-flung areas, remains a top priority.
Guided by the vision of ‘Health for All’, he called upon the healthcare fraternity to build an inclusive, resilient, and people-centric healthcare system.
“We must enrich the healthcare sector through knowledge, innovation, and research. A multidisciplinary approach that goes beyond treating illness should be adopted to address the physical, mental, and social well-being of individuals,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor also lauded the transformation of SKIMS over the past four to five years and its significant contribution to public health and medical education.
He noted that over 1,100 long-pending promotions were executed and around 1,300 paramedical and ministerial posts were revived and referred, including 120 faculty positions. Clearance was also granted for over 1,800 DPC promotions, while an additional 367 non-gazetted and 159 gazetted posts were referred to recruiting agencies.
He further informed that 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.
The Lieutenant Governor inaugurated several projects at SKIMS, including the commissioning of the Emergency S.M.A.R.T. Lab, ICU-VII, a heavy-duty lift, and a new firefighting system.
Foundation stones were also laid for key projects, including a Centre for One Health, a 3 MLD sewage treatment plant, a multi-level car parking facility, Attendant Inn Phase-II, and a shopping complex for hostels. Several new digital initiatives at SKIMS were also launched on the occasion.
Calling for a multifaceted approach leveraging cutting-edge technology, the Lieutenant Governor emphasized the need to develop new healthcare models and enhance accessibility. He also outlined five key goals for healthcare transformation.
“Data-driven care should be our first goal to enable personalized treatment and precision medicine. The second goal is to implement a robust system for auditing patient treatment and outcomes. Third, we must ensure 100 per cent digital health records to improve treatment outcomes and empower patients. The fourth goal is to develop a decentralized healthcare system that enables doctors in remote villages to provide timely, need-based treatment. Fifth, the medical community must work together to promote preventive health and wellness in society,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
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