People of Jammu and Kashmir often struggle to get access to good healthcare due to the uncertain environment in which they live. In the recent past, this union territory has experienced and suffered from violence, militant attacks and civilian population protests that have forced the administration to impose curfews, bringing life to a complete standstill.
Given this scenario, access to quality healthcare and professional medical advice is limited, if not available, and, therefore, we see people from this region travelling to places like Amritsar in Punjab to get medical treatment for various ailments. The city has state-of-the-art medical healthcare infrastructure, multi-specialty hospitals, skilled manpower and a vibrant hospitality sector.
According to some estimates, over 200 people from various parts of Jammu and Kashmir come to Amritsar for medical treatment every month and this number is on the rise.
“Many Kashmiri residents opt for medical treatment outside the valley and Amritsar is the most favoured destination due to quality patient care and healthcare facilities," a doctor told Brighter Kashmir on condition of anonymity.
Medical tourism is a term used to describe the rapidly-growing practice of travelling across borders (domestic and foreign) to seek better healthcare services, which include both elective procedures and complex surgeries, etc.
Cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Gurgaon, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Jaipur to name a few are seen as a viable medical tourism destinations due to the following factors: (1) Most doctors and surgeons have received training or have worked in medical institutions in the West (US, Europe, or in other developed nations), (2) Most doctors and nurses speak English and Hindi fluently, (3) These cities attract well-known healthcare brands, which provide state-of-the-art medical and diagnostic equipment for treatment and (4) The nursing staff in these cities are regarded as among the best in the world. Nearly 10,000 nurses graduate in India annually.
In places like Amritsar, a person from another state can avail medical services and amenities within his or her budget. People opt for Amritsar for medical treatment due to quality medical services not being available in Srinagar or Jammu. Medical tourism here is equally supported by a strong presence of medical colleges to nursing colleges, pharmacy colleges and research institutions.
However, since 2020, the Centre and the UT government have taken steps to address this anomaly by declaring that the region will soon have nine medical colleges, besides two All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The 750-bed AIIMS in Jammu is coming up in Vijaypur in District Samba under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). Its foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 3, 2021. The project, which is being executed by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), is expected to cost the exchequer an estimated Rs.1661 crores and is scheduled for opening in August this year and be fully operational by December.
