In a significant push to strengthen and expand healthcare delivery across Jammu and Kashmir, a comprehensive roadmap for health sector reforms was discussed today between the Health & Medical Education Department and Dr. V.K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, in the presence of Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo.
The high-level meeting focused on strategic interventions, technological integration, academic collaboration, and capacity augmentation to ensure equitable, accessible, and quality healthcare across all districts of the Union Territory.
Dr. V.K. Paul assured full support from NITI Aayog in strengthening institutional capacity and human resources. He advised adopting a hub-and-spoke model with clearly defined roles for institutions to ensure structured, time-bound execution. He also stressed collaborative frameworks, adoption of national best practices, and the establishment of advanced facilities such as Eye Banks, strengthened Forensic Medicine, and upgraded Emergency and Trauma Care services.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo sought guidance on retaining senior faculty, attracting talent from outside the UT, and extending specialized healthcare to remote and border areas. He acknowledged NITI Aayog’s role in recent achievements, including the addition of several PG and MBBS seats across J&K medical colleges.
Secretary, Health & Medical Education Department, Dr. Syed Abid Rashid Shah, presented an overview of initiatives undertaken, highlighting expansion of tertiary care to district hospitals, augmentation of UG, PG, and DNB seats, and the development of governance and monitoring frameworks.
Key interventions discussed included rollout of Tele-ICU services under a hub-and-spoke model, for which the tender has already been floated, and implementation of Tele-Radiology services to address diagnostic gaps in peripheral areas. Plans to establish Dentistry, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, and Pedodontics departments in new GMCs were also deliberated.
The meeting also reviewed collaborative models among AIIMS Jammu, SKIMS Soura, GMC Jammu, GMC Srinagar, and new GMCs, focusing on cardiology, cancer care, mental health, telemedicine, and academic integration. Strengthening drug de-addiction and mental health services, including a proposed “Circle of Care” action plan, was discussed.
Additionally, with facilitation from NITI Aayog, the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) has agreed to train transplant teams and provide technical support for establishing Liver Transplant facilities in J&K.
The meeting concluded with reaffirmation of NITI Aayog’s continued guidance to transform J&K’s healthcare system through technology-driven solutions, academic collaboration, and systemic capacity building.