Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh today said that J&K’s health sector was in “dire need” of advanced super specialty services, an area where corporate hospital chains were eager to invest in now. While discussing the cardiac services in J&K today with Dr Upendra Kaul, renowned cardiologist and Director of Gauri Heart Project, the union minister said that J&K had suffered with the migration of a large number of specialist doctors from Kashmir to Metros in 1990s, as a result of which the deficiency of specialized medical care has risen.
He said that the deficiency of specialist services in the UT was pushing patients to seek treatment in Delhi, Amritsar and Chandigarh. “With such services being made available in J&K, timely treatment could be provided to the patients,” he said.
Dr Singh said that such services could be set up by corporate groups like Apollo, Medanta, Hindujas and others working in the healthcare sector, who have expressed their interest in investing in J&K. “These corporates are feeling encouraged to come forward to invest in Jammu & Kashmir following the new constitutional arrangement brought in after 5th of August, 2019,” he said while appreciating the cooperation of Lieutenant Governor of J&K and his officers in this regard.
He said the corporate houses are seeking “further details and inputs about how best to go about with it”.
The minister was apprised by Dr Kaul about his plans of two advanced Heart Clinics being set up in the twin capital cities of J&K, meant to reduce the flow of patients to outside states and improve healthcare infrastructure. He said to begin with, the OPD services will be started in Srinagar on 10 April. “A similar clinic is also planned for Jammu after the requisite piece of land becomes available,” Dr Kaul told Dr Singh.
The Heart Clinics will be manned by full-time cardiologists who would provide the facility of ECG, Treadmill Test (TMT) Echocardiology, Doppler Studies, Holter Monitoring, Extended Recording of Rhythm, 24-hour blood Pressure Monitoring, Head Uptilt test among others, Dr Kaul said. “Wherever required, the cardiologists stationed there will also have the option to seek superior consultancy from senior cardiologists at Delhi and other places through telemedicine,” he detailed while assuring that the burden on the pockets of the patient would be minimal.
Proposing his services for advancement of healthcare in J&K, Dr Kaul said Gauri Heart Project was holding regular free heart treatment health camps with “full-fledged management facilities, ever-ready ambulance service and tele-medicine contact with some of the leading cardiologists across the country”.
He said these camps had been held at Jagti township Nagrota Jammu and in districts Ramban, Kupwara, Budgam.