Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today inaugurated the two-day National Conference on Patient Safety (NCPS-2025) at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), organized by Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura. The theme of the conference is “Every Error a Lesson, Every Lesson a Safer Care.”
In his inaugural address, the Chief Minister expressed hope that such conferences will generate clear recommendations for the government to implement across health institutions in Jammu and Kashmir, thereby ensuring better healthcare and patient safety standards.
“Through this conference, I hope actionable points emerge which the government can adopt in both major and smaller hospitals, ensuring that patient safety becomes as much a focus as patient care,” Omar Abdullah said.
He emphasized that while patient care and patient safety are closely connected, they are distinct aspects of healthcare. “Patient care is about how we treat the disease—diagnosis, treatment, and empathy for the patient. On the other hand patient safety would mean taking every precaution to avoid errors that can endanger life. A treatment cannot be considered good unless both are ensured,” he added.
Highlighting the purpose of the conference, the Chief Minister said the deliberations should not remain limited to academic discussions but translate into practical measures that can be replicated in hospitals across Jammu and Kashmir. “The biggest benefit of such conferences is that we can learn from the best practices of others and adopt them to our own unique circumstances,” he remarked.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah released the Souvenir of NCPS-2025 and Annual Appraisal Report 2024–25 of SKIMS on the occasion.
Addressing the inaugural session, Minister for Health & Medical Education Sakina Itoo lauded SKIMS as a premier medical institution envisioned by Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. She said, “We must remain eternally grateful to Sher-i-Kashmir and his team for establishing SKIMS. The government under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is committed to strengthening our health institutions by providing modern equipment and facilities so that people need not travel outside J&K for treatment.”
She underlined the importance of behavioural change among doctors and public awareness to build a stronger doctor-patient relationship based on trust.
Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, in his address, said that the credibility of SKIMS lies in its strong commitment to patient care and safety, which has made it a trusted institution in Jammu and Kashmir. He lauded the contibution of SKIMS in producing thousands of specialist doctors who are contibuting towards quality healthcare in J&K, other parts of the country and abroad.
The inaugural session was also addressed by Secretary Health & Medical Education Dr. Abid Rashid, Director SKIMS Prof. M. Ashraf Ganie, Head of Hospital Administration Prof. G.H. Yatoo, and founder Director SKIMS Dr. A.K. Nagpal.
The conference is being attended by faculty members, senior doctors, researchers, scholars, and delegates from across the country. Among those present were several MLAs, former directors of SKIMS, Director SKICC Haris Ahmad Handoo, administrative officers, and senior faculty members of SKIMS.