SRINAGAR, AUGUST 27: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday called for a balanced and integrated healthcare strategy for Jammu & Kashmir, emphasising that the development of advanced quaternary healthcare must go hand in hand with strengthening primary and secondary healthcare services.
Addressing the valedictory function of the three-day Quaternary Healthcare & Research Summit: 4th J&K Medical Conference-2026 at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), the Chief Minister said providing quality healthcare to citizens was one of the government’s fundamental obligations.
The summit, held from August 25 to 27, was organised by Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, under the aegis of NITI Aayog, Government of India, in collaboration with AIIMS New Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh, AIIMS Jammu and AIIMS Awantipora.
The conference was themed “Scaling Tertiary into Quaternary Healthcare: A National Strategy for Advanced Care.”
Omar Abdullah said upgrading tertiary healthcare into the fourth tier would enhance J&K’s capacity to provide highly specialised treatment, but cautioned that quaternary healthcare alone would not resolve the pressures faced by premier institutions such as SKIMS.
“While there are certain aspects of quality care that can certainly be improved by upgrading SKIMS to a quaternary healthcare institution, the fact is that it will not resolve the pressures that SKIMS finds itself under,” he said.
He attributed much of the pressure on tertiary institutions to weaknesses at the primary and secondary levels, observing that referral hospitals were increasingly required to undertake procedures that should ideally be available closer to patients.
Citing routine procedures such as gallbladder and appendicitis surgeries, the Chief Minister said deficiencies at lower levels of the healthcare system were contributing to the burden on tertiary institutions.
“This defeats the purpose of the entire three-tier model of tertiary, secondary and primary healthcare,” he said, stressing that a strong foundation was essential for the effective functioning of both tertiary and quaternary institutions.
The Chief Minister also called for improved access to quality basic healthcare in rural areas and beyond Jammu and Srinagar.
“We need to ensure good quality healthcare in rural J&K,” he said, adding that the objective was not to replicate SKIMS-level specialised care in every rural area but to ensure access to good-quality basic healthcare across the Union Territory.
Omar Abdullah said the combination of strong primary and secondary healthcare with advanced quaternary services would place Jammu & Kashmir in a stronger position to meet the healthcare needs of its people.
He also stressed the need to ensure that patients from J&K do not have to travel outside the Union Territory for advanced treatment.
Recalling the original objective behind establishing SKIMS, he said the institution was created to provide the most needy patients with the best possible healthcare within J&K.
“That is what we hope going ahead as SKIMS transitions from tertiary care to the fourth tier,” he said.
The Chief Minister assured that the government would make every possible effort, within J&K’s financial limitations, to provide SKIMS with the infrastructure required for its next phase of development.
Highlighting infrastructure as a key factor in attracting and retaining highly skilled medical professionals, Omar Abdullah said J&K possessed strong human resources in the healthcare sector.
“Our human resource is second to none. Our nurses, our paramedics and more than anything else our doctors are the best that you will find,” he said.
He noted that J&K-trained doctors were working across the world, particularly in the Gulf and Middle East, and called for creating conditions that could facilitate a “reverse brain drain” by encouraging professionals working outside to return and contribute to the healthcare system in J&K.
“How do we ensure that we provide the best possible facilities, the best possible infrastructure so that we can create a situation where tomorrow there is a reverse brain drain?” he asked.
The Chief Minister welcomed the participation of premier institutions including AIIMS New Delhi and PGIMER Chandigarh, saying the summit provided an opportunity for sustained institutional collaboration, knowledge-sharing and partnerships.
He expressed hope that the engagement would contribute to strengthening J&K’s advanced healthcare ecosystem in line with the broader vision of a developed India by 2047.
Omar Abdullah also stressed that the recommendations emerging from the summit should translate into concrete action rather than remain a theoretical exercise.
“I hope that the recommendations are not only a theoretical exercise but are put in a shape where they can be given practical implementation,” he said.
He said the summit had brought together clinicians, researchers, policymakers and leading healthcare institutions to deliberate on advanced care, research and institutional collaboration, and expressed hope that the discussions would lead to tangible improvements in healthcare delivery in J&K.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister released the book Platinum Pearls in General Surgery Super Specialities and the souvenir SKIMS Journey of Transformation. He also presented awards to nine winners in the Quiz Competition, Poster Presentation and Oral Presentation categories.
Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakeena Masood Itoo, MLA Pampore Retd Justice Hasnain Masoodi, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Director SKIMS Prof. Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, Dean SKIMS Medical College Prof. Dr. Fazlul Q. Parray and Organizing Co-Chair Prof. Dr. Aejaz Ahsan Baba were present.
Former Directors of SKIMS, faculty members, officers of SKIMS and officials of the Health and Medical Education Department also attended the valedictory ceremony.
