Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said an allocation of Rs 110 crore will be made in the upcoming fiscal year to equip all district hospitals with CT scan facilities.
“Our government is committed to strengthening the healthcare infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir to ensure accessible and quality medical services for all,” Omar said in his budget speech.
He said to enhance medical facilities, the government has doubled the funding for machinery and equipment to ₹400 crore. “Three new Cath Labs will be established—one each in North Kashmir, Pir Panjal, and Chenab Valley— with a budgetary provision of ₹45 crore”.
“Over the next three years, MRIs and PET scanning services will be made available in all new Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), while CT scan services will be fully implemented in all district hospitals with an allocation of ₹110 crore. Dialysis services will be expanded to all 83 Sub-District Hospitals (SDHs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) over the next two years, with an additional ₹16.80 crore allocated for 24 new dialysis centres in 40 SDHs/CHCs in the next financial year. To achieve TB-free status and also enable early detection and screening of other ailments at grassroots level,100 portable AI-based X-ray machines will be provided to district and sub-district hospitals over the next two years, with ₹16.50 crore allocated for 50 units in 2025-26,” he said.
The CM said the government is establishing a 250-bedded Mother & Child Care Hospital (MCCH) at Janglat Mandi, Anantnag, at an estimated cost of ₹86 crore.
“To strengthen medical research and emergency services, ₹10 crore has been proposed for research in medical education over the next two years, along with ₹7 crore each for GMC, Jammu and GMC, Srinagar for the creation of Emergency Medicine Departments over a three-year period. An additional maintenance grant of ₹32 crore has been allocated for oxygen generation plants, lifts, toilets, and ramps. We are also establishing a Government Homoeopathy Medical College and Associated Hospital at Rakh Hoshyari, District Kathua, at an estimated cost of ₹52 crore. Furthermore, an additional ₹10 crore has been allocated to SKIMS, along with the completion of a 200-bedded IPD facility at SKIMS Medical College, Bemina. To enhance drug quality and safety, the Modern Drug Testing Laboratory in Kathua will be made operational. These initiatives reaffirm our commitment to providing state-of-the-art healthcare facilities and ensuring a healthier future for the people of Jammu & Kashmir,” he said.
The CM said to boost private investment in healthcare, our Government will introduce the Health Care Investment Policy (HCIP) to enhance medical infrastructure and services across Jammu and Kashmir.