SKIMS was conceived way back in 1975, decades earlier thanwhat the authorities are planning now. We have to accept that an institute ofsuch magnitude presently is almost inconceivable, not to talk about the same inseventies. Not everybody but only one dynamic personality, late Jenab SheikhMohammad Abdullah, had this vision, and the strength to build this marvel. Aninstitute ideally is a handiwork of nation but he singlehandedly showed it thelight of the day. On 14th November 1978 the foundation stone was laid and on5th December 1982 SKIMS was thrown open to public. It is in its 37th year ofits existence and has lived beyond its expectations.
The primary aim of SKIMS was to stop patients to move outsidethe valley for undergoing treatment and it has succeeded on this front. Patientcare is to be the primary aim and the increase in the patients seen/admittedover years justifies that claim. Many patients from Jammu and adjacentdistricts have reposed faith in SKIMS and reported here for their treatmentmany a times. From cardiological interventions to lithotripsy to state of artlinear accelerator radio therapy, to sophisticated operations to complexlaboratory investigation, to digital subtraction angiography, to PET scanning-you name it and it is done here. Rarely now is a patient referred to a higherspecialized center for management. Many patient friendly approaches have beendevised and many more are in pipeline. Availability of drugs and surgicalconsumables at subsidized rates at the drug counter has gone a long way toalleviate the suffering of the patients. A high end digital subtractionvascular lab, state-of-the-art gastroenterology lab, separate sub-specialties,expansion in OT and OPD as well as emergency services has been added to aid indiagnostics and therapeutics. A newgeriatric, cancer center and addition of more ICU beds are in pipeline.
SKIMS is a deemed university that is actively involved inimparting quality education and training to the aspirants of the higheststandard in different disciples of medicine, surgery, non-clinical andlaboratory fields. It offers post-doctoral (DM/M Ch), doctoral (Ph D), postgraduate (MD/MS), undergraduate (MBBS), BSc and MSc in laboratory fields, MScand BSc in Nursing courses. It has produced scores of super specialists,hundreds of post graduates in medicine and surgery, nursing and laboratorypersonnel, thus giving skilled personnel who have contributed in enhancing thehealth care delivery system in the valley and beyond. New courses at the levelof undergraduate, graduate, post graduate and post-doctoral are beingincreasingly recognized by the national authorities. SKIMS has set up a benchmark of research which is of high standard and gets published in national andinternational journals which has brought SKIMS in the eyes of the world. Eachyear hundreds of seminars, symposia, workshops, conferences, debates, guestlectures are held to update the staff on the latest happenings in the field of medicine.
SKIMS never rested in the unrest, it never slept once thevalley would sleep at 5 pm and it never refused anyone who was refused inperipheries. For this is the place a poor or rich, sick or dying, young or old,desperate or desolate will come at times his health deteriorates and all theexisting health care facilities in the periphery may raise their hands indespair.
All of us need to remember that SKIMS is not a naturalresource but a man made and managed system that is supposed to excel and providethe best but as well is bound to have deficiencies, faults and limitations. Itis about five battalions of manpower, thousands of machines, innumerableprocedures, daily files, routine government norms and much more and in thishuge endeavor there ought to be dearth. But let all of us close it on thisthat SKIMS is a premier medical center and a deemeduniversity which is providing highquality patient care, academic courses to produce trained and skilled manpowerand is involved in need based biomedical research. On 5th December let usremind ourselves that SKIMS is an asset for the state and let us all continueto build it at par with the best institutes of India.
Dr Muzafar Maqsood Wani is Consultant Nephrologist, SKIMS, Soura. (mmmwani@gmail.com)