Srinagar, May 17 (KNO): R R Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Friday said medical services in Jammu and Kashmir have reached a level where residents no longer need to seek treatment outside the region.
Speaking to reporters during the second regional conference of the National Health Mission, the Advisor, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the aim of such conferences is to find how much benefit the public has been getting from various health-related initiatives taken by the government.
"In J&K, the health and medical education infrastructure has been enhanced at a large level as two AIIMS, many cancer institutes and seven GMCs have come up," he said, adding that efforts are on to take medical services to a level that no patient will require to go outside for treatment.
Bhatnagar said there is now the decentralisation of specialised services by strengthening healthcare facilities at the district, Primary Health Centre (PHC), and Community Health Centre (CHC) levels. The development of Ayushman Arog Mandirs aims to expand healthcare services and enhance accessibility, he added.
Apurva Chandra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Family Welfare said the purpose of such conferences is to assess the progress made in the health sector.
Officials from various states and Union Territories shared their experiences to facilitate mutual learning. Chandra praised the advanced healthcare facilities in Kashmir, including PHCs offering round-the-clock services with three-shift doctors, a unique feature not commonly found across India.
Secretary said he first visited Kashmir in 1987 and has been visiting here since. "Now, the healthcare infrastructure has been enhanced to a great extent," he said.
Secretary, Health & Medical Education, Dr Abid Rasheed Shah said that Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed transformative changes in the last couple of years in terms of healthcare facilities and that the doctor-patient ratio will be improved soon.
He said several transformative changes have been witnessed in the past couple of years and that the MBBS seats have been increased from 500 to 1300, which will be increased further.
"Paramedical institutions have also come up where the nursing and other training are being done. We are expected to come up with such posts soon as well," Dr Abid said, adding that the human resources for critical care will also be developed.
The Secretary Health further said that the teams from the Centre recently visited many healthcare facilities across Kashmir, interacted with patients and gave their feedback as well.
In the coming time, gaps in human resources and other things will be filled soon, he said.
"Conferences like these are imperative for improvement. Such events should be held in future as well and anyone organising such events will get the complete support of the government," Dr Shah added—(KNO)