Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo today visited Kalaroos and Sogam areas of Kupwara district to express heartfelt condolences to the families of young students who tragically lost their lives in road accident today morning.
Advisor to Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani; former Minister, Choudhary Mohammad Ramzaan; Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, Ayushi Sudan; Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr. Jahangir Bakshi; Director Colleges, J&K, Dr. Sheikh Aijaz Bashir and other senior officers of district administration also accompanied the Minister.
During the visit, Sakeena met the grieving family members of deceased students and expressed deep sorrow over the incident. She assured the families of every possible support from the government during this difficult time.
“This is not just a personal loss for the families but a tragic moment for the entire area. The loss of such a promising young lives is deeply painful”, Sakeena stated.
The Minister also said that the Government has announced ex-gratia relief to the victims’ families, besides a magisterial inquiry has also been ordered to probe this fatal road accident.
She further added that as soon as the news of this tragic accident came, Director SKIMS, Principal GMC Srinagar, Principal GMC Handwara, Director Health Services Kashmir and CMO Kupwara were alerted by the government to ensure best possible treatment for the injured students. She highlighted that the administrators of all hospitals receiving the injured students were directed to personally monitor the injured students at their respective facilities to ensure their effective treatment.
The Minister, while expressing deep grief over the lives of those young students, said that due to prompt response of medical authorities to this tragic incident, several lives have been saved and injured students were swiftly shifted to required medical facilities for advanced treatment.
Later, the Minister also visited GMC Handwara and enquired about the well being of the students.
During the visit, she met the injured students as well as their attendants and assured them all possible assistance and support from the government.
Interacting with the medical staff during the visit, she asked the Medical Superintendent and other staff to prioritize the medical care of the injured students and offer all necessary support to the victims and their families. She further directed the Medical Superintendent to personally monitor the treatment facilities of the injured students and keep sufficient staff available round the clock for their effective treatment.
On the occasion, Medical Superintendent informed the minister that most of the injured students have been discharged from the hospital after proper medical treatment and currently three students are undergoing treatment at GMC Handwara, one each at SMHS and SKIMS Srinagar.