Srinagar, Dec 10: The Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura is planning a five-year roadmap to promote medical tourism and education through a self-sustaining model.
Director SKIMS Soura, Dr. Mohd Ashraf Ganaie told Rising Kashmir that the medical tourism comprises two key components: an education hub and a medical hub.
“In the education hub, we aim to increase the number of medical colleges, with SKIMS serving as the medical university for these institutions. This would attract students from outside the region, contributing to revenue generation,” he said.
“We can also plan to provide additional facilities for doctors, such as constructing huts and houseboats along Anchar Lake, where SKIMS owns approximately 400 kanals of land. This location is ideal for developing a medical tourism hub to attract patients from the Middle East. Such an initiative could serve as a self-sustaining model for the institute,” the director said.
He said that if the government gives them approval then they will make a detailed project report and make the dream plan a reality at the largest tertiary care hospital.
Doctors say medical tourism is a rapidly growing sector where individuals travel to other countries or regions to access medical care, often combining treatment with leisure. It offers patients high-quality healthcare at lower costs compared to their home countries.
Dr Ganaie stated that the institute has immense potential and is committed to delivering quality healthcare with the support of the administration.
He stated that SKIMS publishes an average of 1,500 significant papers annually in national and international research journals and has secured multiple grants for various research projects from different agencies.
“We have a clear vision of establishing a medical university where international investors can collaborate, creating a self-sustaining model that elevates the institute to international standards,” the director.
The Director also emphasized that SKIMS and its faculty have shown remarkable resilience, overcoming numerous challenges to advance their mission and uphold the institute’s legacy of excellence.
