Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reviewed progress on strengthening healthcare infrastructure and services across the state and assessed the requirements and priorities to improve the sector further, an official press release informed Monday.
Abdullah chaired the high-level meeting, attended by Minister for Health & Medical Education Sakina Itoo, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, and Commissioner Secretary, Health & Medical Education, M Raju here today, it said.
The chief minister praised the Health department for steps taken over the last nearly two years to address manpower shortages and infrastructure and equipment deficiencies. “I appreciate the steps the health department has taken over the last almost two years, both in addressing infrastructure and equipment deficiencies,” he said.
The officials made a detailed presentations on various aspects of the health sector, including healthcare infrastructure, medical education, specialised healthcare services, digital health, public health, and human resource requirements, the press release said.
It said the chief minister advised the department to focus on filling critical gaps in the system according to expected budgetary allocations. The Advisory Committee’s report would serve as the roadmap in this direction. He said the elaborate reform plan would require huge funding, and the report suggests what our healthcare system should look like in an ideal situation.
He said the required financial resources may not be available all at once.
Abdullah underlined the need to prioritise and plan which components require more immediate attention, in addition to improving the basic facilities of the primary and secondary healthcare system.
The chief minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, assured the health department of continued support to strengthen the sector further. “I want to assure the department, especially the minister involved, that as I am also handling the finance department, we will do everything we can to support ongoing improvements in the health department,” he said.
The meeting reviewed the functioning and requirements of government medical colleges, SKIMS and other tertiary and district-level healthcare institutions, focusing particularly on improving patient care, infrastructure, equipment, medical education and specialised services.
The press release said the discussions covered a wide range of areas, including cancer care, medical education and seat capacity, digital health services, oral healthcare, food safety, mental health and drug de-addiction, liver transplant services, nutritional support and geriatric care.
