Restoring SKIMS’ autonomy a must for J&K’s healthcare progress: CM

Srinagar, Dec 05: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, on Thursday marked the 42nd Annual Day of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura, expressing his government’s commitment to restoring the institute’s autonomy and addressing its ongoing manpower shortages.
Speaking at the event, Omar emphasised the need to enhance the institute’s infrastructure, streamline procurement processes, and fill long-standing vacancies to improve patient care.
SKIMS, established in 1982 under the visionary leadership of the late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, has provided essential healthcare services to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, despite facing significant challenges, including financial constraints and staff shortages.
“SKIMS bears a huge brunt of patients across the valley,” Omar stated, urging that treatment for routine medical needs be shifted to district and sub-district hospitals to alleviate pressure on the institute.
He lauded SKIMS authorities for managing huge referrals due to inadequate infrastructure at district and sub-district hospitals, which forces patients with routine medical needs to seek treatment at the institute.
“Late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah envisioned SKIMS as a center for medical excellence in J&K, aiming to provide comprehensive treatment facilities to patients. It was his dream to establish it as a hub for both advanced healthcare and medical tourism,” he said.
The Chief Minister further acknowledged the difficulties caused by the erosion of SKIMS’ autonomy, which has impacted its ability to function efficiently. He reiterated his government’s commitment to work with the J&K Health Minister to restore the institute’s independence, ensuring that it can address challenges such as power outages, oxygen plant failures, and delayed equipment procurement.
“We will try to sit down with J&K Health Minister and try to restore the autonomy of SKIMS institute so that the hospital does not face such kind of issues,” he said.
Omar Abdullah also raised concerns about staffing shortages, pointing out that some positions at SKIMS have remained unfilled for over a decade, with nurses often managing disproportionate workloads. “SKIMS represents a beacon of hope for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added, pledging to support the institution’s growth, technological upgrades, and improved operational capacity.
At the event, Minister for Health & Medical Education, Sakina Itoo, praised the dedication of SKIMS doctors in delivering quality patient care and stressed the importance of expanding local healthcare facilities to reduce the need for patients to seek treatment outside the region.
“We need to do more work. Jammu and Kashmir lacks many facilities that should have been available for patients and patients still go outside the UT for treatment of diseases,” she said.
Director of SKIMS, Dr. Mohd Ashraf Ganaie, highlighted the institute’s potential for growth, announcing plans to develop a medical tourism hub and medical university on the 400 kanals of land at the institute’s disposal.
On the occasion, Director SKIMS, Soura, Dr. Mohd Ashraf Ganaie stated that the institute has immense potential and is committed to delivering quality healthcare with the support of the administration.
“SKIMS has proved an institute of excellence and research. SKIMS on an average has published some 1500 important papers in national and international research journals and we have got multiple grants for several research projects from different agencies,” he said.
“We have a vision to make SKIMS a hub of medical tourism. The 400 kanals of land that we have in the backyard of the institute is an ideal place for a medical tourism hub which will invite patients from the Middle East,” the director said.
“We have a clear vision to have a medical university where the international players can invest and it could be a self-sustaining model and it can bring the institute to the international standards,” he said.
Dr. Ganaie also called for urgent infrastructure improvements, including a 1000-bed auditorium, liver transplant facilities, and modernized medical equipment, with the goal of restoring SKIMS to its former glory by December 2025.
“We need a comprehensive package to address maintenance and repairs of all infrastructures, as well as funding to fill vacant positions and procure advanced equipment. This will help us restore SKIMS to its former glory by December 05, 2025,” he said.
“I want to have a neurosciences centre, organ transplant centre and psychlotron by 2030. We want to have a structured referral system with an e-governance model so that our peripheral system is structured like the Western Countries and so that the referral system at SKIMS is regulated,” he said.
Dr. A.K Nagpal, former Director SKIMS delivered Sheri-Kashmir Oration.
NC President and Former Member of Parliament, Farooq Abdullah, Cabinet Minister Satish Sharma, Advisor to CM, Nasir Aslam Wani, Secretary Health and Medical Education Department J&K, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Dr A.K. Nagpal, Director SKIMS, Dr Ashraf Ganaie, Dean Medical Fraternity, Dr Shariq Masoodi, MS SKIMS, Dr Farooq Jan, Former Directors, HoDs, faculty members, students and huge gathering was present at the auditorium hall at SKIMS.