On party founder Sheikh Abdullah’s birthday, J&K CM Omar Abdullah promises to restore ‘independence’ of SKIMS hospital

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, left, with state Health Minister Sakina Itoo, right, and JKNC President Farooq Abdullah during the 42nd Anniversary of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS), Srinagar, Thursday, Dec. . 5, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who paid tribute to his grandfather and late J&K National Conference (NC) founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah on his 119th birthday in Srinagar on Thursday (December 5, 2024), promised to restore the destroyed independence. of the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) hospital, which he allegedly faced during the Lieutenant-Governor’s Rule since the repeal of Article 370 in August 2019.

SKIMS Hospital is named after the title of ‘Sher-i-Kashmir’ by which the late founder of NC is known. “Ending the independence of SKIMS hospital has had a negative impact on this institution. I will sit with the Minister of Health and take steps to restore the independence of SKIMS hospital,” said Mr. Omar Abdullah.

The hospital, established on December 5, 1982, is the largest tertiary care hospital of the Kashmir Valley. It has played a major role in improving the healthcare system in J&K. However, the institution is widely believed to have seen a reduction in its financial, purchasing and hiring power during the tenure of the L-G.

“There are places where, in the last 10 years, people have never been employed. There is one nurse to guard 30 beds at night. The absence of a dedicated engineering unit with SKIMS has affected routine maintenance and maintenance,” said the Chief Minister.

He said the hospital has seen a lot of power outages recently. “A hospital that experiences a power outage is playing with people’s lives. A few days ago, the electricity went out at night. Intensive care patients had to be able to disconnect the power for seven to eight minutes and were kept alive with manual chest compressions and pumps, until ventilators and respirators started working. It is the effect of the removal of the engineering department,” said Mr. Omar Abdullah.

He said the elected government will also ease the difficult procurement rules to ensure timely availability of medicines, among other issues.

Earlier, Ashraf Ganai, Director of SKIMS, had highlighted the need to develop the hospital as an independent medical university, and encourage medical tourism by improving the infrastructure in the area.

Top NC leaders, including Mr. Omar Abdullah and his father Farooq Abdullah, paid tribute to the founder of the party at his grave in Naseembagh. “The vision of Sher-e-Kashmir continues to inspire us to work hard for the betterment of our people. Today, we remember his sacrifice and reaffirm our commitment to his ideals of justice, equality, and social harmony,” said Mr. Omar Abdullah.

He said restoring J&K’s status requires a “massive battle and concerted efforts”. “The people of J&K participated wholeheartedly in the parliamentary and legislative elections, with real hope. They believed that the promises made by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior, especially regarding the restoration of the state, would be respected. This is a big fight, and we will continue to push it,” said Mr. Omar Abdullah.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Abdullah said his father was “a guiding light, his principles will always lead us forward”.