Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) and Jammu & Kashmir Bank aimed at expanding healthcare access and strengthening institutional financial services across Jammu and Kashmir.
The MoU was signed by SKIMS Director Prof. Mohammad Ashraf Ganie and J&K Bank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Amitava Chatterjee.
Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani and other senior officials were present on the occasion.
Under the agreement, SKIMS and J&K Bank will collaborate on initiatives related to patient services, employee welfare, financial inclusion and healthcare infrastructure support.
A major component of the MoU is the integration of SKIMS’ OPD ticketing and appointment booking system with J&K Bank’s Banking Correspondent (BC) network on a six-month pilot basis. The facility will allow patients in remote and rural areas to book OPD appointments and obtain tickets closer to their homes, reducing the need to travel to Srinagar solely for registration purposes.
The agreement also designates J&K Bank as a banking partner for SKIMS and extends a range of customised banking benefits to its regular employees, including zero-balance salary accounts, waiver of specified banking charges, concessional loan facilities and auto-sweep services.
As part of the arrangement, dedicated counters will be established at SKIMS for J&K Bank employees, while the institute will depute a physician to the bank’s headquarters once every month to provide medical consultations to staff.
The partnership also includes provisions for supporting healthcare infrastructure and patient welfare. J&K Bank will prioritise corporate social responsibility (CSR) assistance for infrastructure development at SKIMS and integrate the institute’s Endowment Fund for poor patients with its MPay Delight+ mobile application, enabling people to contribute directly towards patient care.
In addition, the bank will organise fully funded digital financial literacy programmes for SKIMS employees and conduct quarterly wealth management sessions under the terms of the MoU.