Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo, today chaired a meeting at Civil Secretariat to review the performance and functioning of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Health and Medical Education, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Director SKIMS, Dr. Ashraf Ganai; Director General Budget, Director Finance Health and Medical Education, Medical Superintendent SKIMS and other senior officers of Health and Medical Education department and SKIMS Soura.
Addressing the officers, Sakeena Itoo emphasized the critical role of SKIMS in delivering specialized medical care not only to the people of Kashmir valley but also to patients from neighbouring regions.
She outlined that the contribution of SKIMS is unmatchable for society. “SKIMS is the cornerstone of our healthcare system and its performance directly impacts the well-being of thousands of people on regular basis”, the Minister stated.
She highlighted the importance of maintaining high standards in patient care, medical education and research at this prestigious institution. “We must work collectively to ensure that the institute continues to work with its full potential in delivering advanced and quality medicare to our people”, Sakeena said.
While reviewing the current state of infrastructure at SKIMS, including inpatient and outpatient facilities, diagnostic centers as well as emergency services, the Minister urged the administration to expedite the works on ongoing projects aimed at modernizing facilities and ensuring patient comfort at the institute.
She also asked them for decongestion of emergency ward so that the patients are treated effectively. Addressing the issue of manpower and staffing shortage, Sakeena Itoo asked the Director SKIMS to recruit the necessary paramedics and other medical professionals for key departments on contract basis till regular recruitments are made.
She asked the SKIMS administration to maintain due transparency during the entire process of recruitment. Reviewing the financial and resource allocation of the institute, Sakeena Itoo called upon the SKIMS administration to maintain due transparency and accountability while executing different works.
She asked them for timely updation of expenditure on BEAMS portal in coordination with the Finance department. During the meeting, Director SKIMS gave a detailed presentation informing the meeting about various interventions being made for improving patient care at this prestigious institution.
He informed the meeting that two major achievements will be accomplished by the institute this year with the start of Liver transplant and Neonatal/Paediatric cardiac surgery. He further informed that the institute caters to more than 260 patient admissions on daily basis besides it had more than 80% bed occupancy during the previous year.