Srinagar, June 7: The Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura would get Rs 37 crore from the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for augmenting the healthcare facilities there.
The announcement was made by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad during his visit to the institution today. He further announced Rs 6 crore for procurement of upgraded and latest diagnostic equipment for Department of Oncology, at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital, Srinagar.
Minister for Medical Education R S Chib accompanied the Union Minister during the visit. The Union Minister who was on a tour of the state to take stock of the healthcare facilities, asserted that Union Government would provide all possible financial assistance to the state for modernizing and upgrading health facilities, adding that in this regard so far liberal financial assistance have been provided to the state.
Azad inspected various wards of SKIMS and interacted with patients and enquired about the medical facilities being provided to them. During his visit, some individuals also met him and apprised him about the problems being confronted by them in the hospital. They demanded additional beds in emergency ward and establishment of additional latest diagnostic equipments for the convenience of the patients.
Chairing high-level meeting of officers in SKIMS, the Union Minister said that the capacity of students for SKIMS Medical College Bemina would be enhanced to 100 from existing capacity of 50. He sought proposal from Director SKIMS for conversion of Advanced Trauma Centre into Poly Trauma Centre for making it a resource centre. He also directed for formulation of proposal for establishment of full-fledged cancer ward in the institute.
Azad also visited under-construction building of up-coming super-specialty hospital and took stock of the pace of construction work on the project. He asked the executing agency to accelerate the pace of construction work so that it could be completed by the end of this year and could be commissioned for the benefit of people.
Later, the Union Minister visited SMHS Hospital and took stock of the functioning of the hospital. He went round various wards including emergency ward, emergency surgical ward and Radiation Oncology block, a cancer centre established in the hospital. Interacting with the patients, he said that free medicines and diagnostic facilities would be provided to the patients belonging to BPL category provided the certificate should be issued from a competent authority.
Briefing media, Azad said that government was working for the establishment of another cancer centre for the facility of the cancer patients in the valley.
Among others, Union Joint Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Vishwas Mehta, Union Additional Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Anuradha Gupta, Secretary, Health and Medical Education, M K Dwevidi, Director SKIMS, Dr Showkat Zargar, Principal Government Medical College, Srinagar, Dr Qazi Masood accompanied the Union Minister.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 7 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 7 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 8 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST