Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a comprehensive review meeting to assess the progress achieved under the Health Sector Reforms being implemented across Jammu and Kashmir over the past couple of years.
The meeting examined reforms aimed at strengthening tertiary and secondary healthcare services, expanding medical education, enhancing digital health infrastructure and improving access to specialized treatment facilities across the healthcare facilities of the Union Territory.
The meeting besides Commissioner Secretary, Health & Medical Education was attended by Director, SKIMS; MD, NHM; CEO, SHA; Principals of Government Medical Colleges; Director Health, Kashmir/Jammu representatives from AIIMS Jammu, SMVDIME and other senior officers associated with the healthcare sector.
During the review, the Chief Secretary was apprised of the significant strides made in establishing collaborative institutional frameworks among Government Medical Colleges, SKIMS, AIIMS Jammu and other healthcare institutions for strengthening specialty and super-specialty services, capacity building, academic collaboration, research initiatives and digital healthcare delivery.
While reviewing the progress achieved under the health sector reforms programme, the Chief Secretary emphasized that every tertiary care institution in Jammu and Kashmir should strive towards establishing and strengthening critical care, trauma care and emergency medicine services, observing that these areas are among the most significant determinants of quality patient care and healthcare outcomes.
He further directed that the benefits of the reform process should not remain confined to the newly established Government Medical Colleges alone. He called for inclusion of District Hospitals and Sub-District Hospitals, particularly in those areas where no Government Medical College exists, so that healthcare upgradation reaches all regions of the Union Territory in a balanced and equitable manner. He observed that future interventions should be planned according to the strengths, requirements and service potential of each healthcare institution.
The Chief Secretary assured the department of full administrative and financial support for viable and impactful healthcare initiatives and encouraged the officers to proactively formulate innovative proposals aimed at improving patient care, medical education and healthcare delivery across Jammu and Kashmir.
Highlighting the growing role of technology in healthcare, he directed the department to expand the ambit of Virtual Medical Boards to cover more specialties and institutions. He also called for the introduction of Grand Rounds, virtual academic sessions and online teaching platforms in peripheral healthcare institutions to facilitate continuous professional development, strengthen specialist support and improve clinical outcomes.
The Chief Secretary further advised the department to establish a clearly defined Roles, Responsibilities and Accountability Framework across healthcare institutions so that responsibilities at every level are well delineated and measurable. He stressed the need for instituting a robust Monitoring, Evaluation and Review Mechanism supported by information technology platforms to facilitate real-time assessment of healthcare services, patient utilization patterns and institutional performance across the Union Territory.
Calling for a forward-looking approach, the Chief Secretary directed the Health & Medical Education Department to identify measurable milestones and targets for the next six months, one year and two years in the areas of healthcare services, medical education and research.
He also emphasized the need for making concerted efforts towards enhancement of MBBS, postgraduate and super-specialty seats across medical colleges to ensure optimal utilization of the infrastructure and human resources created under the health sector reforms programme.
Regarding the expansion of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education the Commissioner Secretary, H&ME, M.Raju revealed that proposals have been submitted for enhancement of 300 MBBS seats, 243 MD/MS seats, 64 DM/MCh super-specialty seats and additional DNB seats across various medical institutions. He added that several proposals have already undergone inspection and approval processes with the National Medical Commission and other regulatory bodies.
The Commissioner Secretary further apprised that Tele-MANAS and tele-psychiatry services have been made operational in major institutions, while de-addiction and mental health facilities have been significantly expanded.
He divulged that a comprehensive three-tier Substance Use Disorder (SUD) service delivery framework has also been devised to strengthen prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and community-based support systems throughout Jammu and Kashmir.
It was given out by the Director, SKIMS, Dr Ashraf Ganai that the constitution of the J&K Research Consortium has been constituted at the Institute aimed at promoting collaborative research among SKIMS, Government Medical Colleges and AIIMS Jammu. The consortium is expected to strengthen medical research, innovation and evidence-based policy formulation in the healthcare sector in the days to come, he informed.
Earlier on Dr. Yashpal Sharma, Executive Director, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) gave a detailed presentation about several reforms executed across the healthcare facilities of the UT.
He gave out that multiple Virtual Medical Boards have already been conducted in disciplines such as Neurology, Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Anaesthesiology, Surgery and Community Medicine.
Moreover he apprised the meeting that the Tele-ICU facilities are proposed to be established in seven new Government Medical Colleges under a hybrid hub-and-spoke model to strengthen critical care services across the UT.
Similarly, he made out that the process for establishing Tele-Radiology services is underway to ensure timely specialist radiological support to healthcare institutions in remote and underserved areas, he added.
The Head IMHANS Srinagar, Dr Arshid Dada threw light on the roadmap for expansion and augmentation of drug de-addiction services and the efforts made towards training over 3,200 grassroots-level workers under the proposed “Circle of Care” programme. He elaborated that the initiative aims to create a community-based support network for early identification, counselling, referral and rehabilitation of individuals affected by substance use disorders.
Reviewing the initiatives undertaken in the field of food safety, the Chief Secretary was informed about strengthening of regulatory and enforcement mechanisms, expansion of laboratory infrastructure, capacity building of field staff and enhanced public awareness campaigns.
He was apprised that more than 1,700 food safety cases were adjudicated during the last financial year, resulting in penalties exceeding Rs 1.67 Cr, while significant progress has been achieved towards laboratory modernization and expansion of testing capabilities.
The meeting further deliberated upon upcoming initiatives in the areas of mental health, liver transplant services and strengthening of dental healthcare services. It was informed that collaboration with premier institutions has been initiated to establish advanced liver and biliary care services in Jammu and Kashmir and to further augment specialty healthcare delivery here in the health facilities of the UT.
Emphasizing the need for sustained reforms, the Chief Secretary stressed that the ultimate objective of these reforms should be to provide accessible, affordable and high-quality healthcare services to every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir. He underscored the importance of leveraging technology, research, capacity building and institutional collaboration to transform the healthcare landscape of the Union Territory.