Srinagar, Nov 02 (KNO): Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) is expanding infrastructure at its main campus and SKIMS Medical College, alongside procuring advanced medical equipment, to strengthen specialised healthcare services and reduce patient dependence on hospitals outside Jammu and Kashmir.
Director SKIMS, Prof Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said new college, inpatient department (IPD) and outpatient department (OPD) blocks were under construction at SKIMS Medical College as part of efforts to expand capacity.
“We are not focusing only on the main campus. Both institutions are under the same administrative setup, and efforts are being made to improve facilities at both places,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a sports programme on Monday.
Prof Ganie said the institute was also acquiring new medical equipment and exploring additional funding sources beyond regular government support to upgrade services.
“Our priority is to continuously improve patient care so that people can receive the treatment they need here instead of having to travel outside Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
On overcrowding and long waiting times, Prof Ganie said the heavy patient load reflected SKIMS’ role as a tertiary-care referral centre, with many patients arriving from district and peripheral hospitals, including cases that could be managed at lower levels of care.
He said infrastructure expansion alone would not ease pressure unless the referral system was streamlined.
“As long as the referral system at the peripheral level is not properly organised, the rush at our hospitals will continue. Even when we expand facilities, people still prefer to come to SKIMS,” he said.
According to him, the institute is working with peripheral hospitals to ensure that only patients needing specialised treatment are referred to tertiary-care centres.
“We want smaller medical issues to be addressed at the peripheral level and referrals to be made selectively. This will help us focus our resources on patients who genuinely require specialised care,” he said.
He stressed that better coordination between district hospitals and tertiary institutions was essential to improve patient flow and optimise healthcare resources.
Meanwhile, Prof Ganie said SKIMS would continue promoting sports and cultural activities across its campuses to support the overall well-being of students and staff.
“We want our faculty, paramedical staff and particularly the students we are training to remain healthy mentally, physically and spiritually,” he said.
He added that the initiative aims to foster a vibrant campus environment and encourage greater participation in extracurricular activities at both SKIMS Medical College and the main SKIMS campus—(KNO)