Highlighting the need for the government to handhold private sector, especially in sectors such as healthcare, works minister Naeem Akhtar on Saturday urged private hospitals to strengthen their emergency care and abilities for performing complicated surgeries and other treatments.Akhtar was addressing a gathering at the inauguration of Budgam districts first private hospital “Ibn-Sina” located right outside the Ompura railway station. “Most of the existing private hospitals do not match up to the tertiary care which the government hospitals provide. I hope Ibn Sina sets new standards in voluntarism and heathcare,” Akhtar said.Akhtar said despite being home to quality doctors, Kashmir lacks an holistic healthcare system. “At the government and private level we are always bothered about whether doctor is punctual and if he is doing private practice or not. We should rather create an ecosystem in healthcare where services such as paramedics, nursing, sanitation etc is provided attention. Ibn-Sina is ideally located away from the hustle and bustle of the city and close to railhead,”Akhtar said.
Akhtar hailed the Chairman of Ibn-Sina for coming up with a quality hospital despite coming from a modest background. Also addressing the gathering, Haji Abdul Rashid Bhat, Chairman, Ibn-Sinha Hospital said the hospital was set-up in memory of his late son who had died in a young age. “Soon after his demise I had made the resolve to do my bit for the society and this hospital is an outcome of that,” Bhat said.Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman who was also present at the inauguration ceremony said apart from providing heathcare services to people from Srinagar and Budgam, Ibn-Sina can also cater to the needs of patients from peripheries. Dr Rehman said emergency and trauma care are areas which private hospitals need lay special emphasis on. “Train travel can make it easy for patients from North, South and Central Kashmir to visit this hospital. At the government level we are keen that hospitals such as Ibn-Sina witness a tangible growth so that load factor on government hospitals is also reduced.District Development Commisioner, Budgam, Muhammad Haroon Malik said Ibn-Sina hospital will help to “fill the void of a quality private hospital” in Budgam district.
“Institutionally Budgam is lagging behind but efforts in healthcare such as Ibn-Sina rekindle the hope that entreprenuers foraying into heathcare are ready to provide good facilities to common people,” Malik said.Among those who were present at the event included SSP Budgam Tejinder Singh, CEO Peaks Group, Baldev Singh. Administrator, Ibn-Sina Hospital, Muhammad Ashraf Malik said room rates and other charges at the hospital have been fixed at an affordable price at Ibn-Sina.From routine investigations to Digital X-rays and open as well as Laproscopic surgeries Ibn-Sina is keen to deliver heathcare services in the best possible way,” Malik said.He said a special emphasis is on post-operative care and introducing state-of-the art facilities at Ibn-Sina. (CNS)