CM warns SKIMS doctors: Choose job or private practice
Says violation of directions will be viewed seriously
J&K Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed Wednesday called for strict enforcement of ban on private practice by doctors of Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences here.
Chairing the Governing Body meeting of SKIMS, the Chief Minister said doctors of the institute have to choose between “keeping their job (sic) or private practice” and “any violation of the directions will be viewed seriously.”
Emphasizing on strict monitoring on ban on private practice of SKIMS doctors, Mufti asked the hospital management to bring the institute at par with quality provided by AIIMS New Delhi.
“SKIMS has to make concerted efforts to become an equivalent institute of excellence in the country,” he said.
While emphasizing the need for enhancing scope and facilities at SKIMS for providing super-specialty healthcare to people, the Chief Minister said quality services at the institute have to improve so that people don’t have to go for referrals to New Delhi, Chandigarh or any other place outside the State for advanced treatment.
“Once patients are referred to institutes outside the State, they have to spend a lot of money on their treatment which they cannot afford,” he said, adding, “The institute will have to regulate referrals so that its performance as a premier institute in tertiary healthcare is not affected.”
He also stressed on the need to improve and upgrade delivery of healthcare service at sub-district and district-level hospitals in J&K.
Stressing on need to make optimal use of infrastructure available at SKIMS, Mufti called for periodical self-appraisals to assess the performance of the institute in terms of patient care.
Briefing the Chief Minister about upgrading infrastructure at the institute, Dr Showkat Zargar, Director SKIMS, said the Regional Cancer Centre at SKIMS—on the basis of its suitability and eligibility—has been upgraded to the level of State Cancer Institute and an amount of Rs 120 crore as grant-in-aid has been approved by the Central Government. RS 47 crore has been sanctioned as first installment that will be released to the institute shortly, he said.
He said the money will be utilized for procurement of PET Scan and Cyclotron machine which will improve quality of healthcare at the Centre, he said.
Informing the Chief Minister about the steps taken to provide better patient-care at 685-bedded SKIMS, the Director said over 8 lakh patients were treated at SKIMS in 2014 and between 2012 and 2014, nine new departments have been added.
“The bed capacity of ICUs has also been increased while 13,856 major surgeries have been performed in 2014, as compared to 12,242 in 2010,” he said.
“2.8 crore laboratory investigations and 29,593 MRI and CT scans were performed at SKIMS last year.”
Besides taking several decisions to improve quality of healthcare facilities at SKIMS, the Governing Body also approved increase in intake capacity of SKIMS Nursing College from 50 to 100 seats and installation of MRI machines on PPP mode on the same lines which has been done in case of Bone & Joint Hospital, Burzalla.
