Sakeena Itoo visits GMC Baramulla, reviews healthcare services, hospital infrastructure

BARAMULLA : Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo, on Wednesday visited the Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla and chaired a meeting to review the status of healthcare delivery, patient care services and hospital infrastructure at the facility.
MLA Baramulla, Javed Hasan Baig; MLA Sopore, Irshad Rasool Kar; MLA Wagoora Kreeri; Advocate Irfan Hafeez Lone; MLA Uri, Dr. Sajjad Shafi; Director Health Services Kashmir, Principal GMC Baramulla, Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla and other senior officers of district administration attended the meeting.
Addressing the officers in the meeting, the Minister emphasized on the need for enhancing the patient care facilities, streamlining service delivery and strengthening coordination among the departments to ensure that quality healthcare services reach every citizen. “Health is a fundamental right and remains a top priority of the government. There is no room for compromise in this important sector of society”, she stated.
The Minister called for an enhanced patient-centric approach in healthcare service delivery. She urged the medical fraternity to adopt a friendly and compassionate attitude while treating the patients. She said that ensuring transparency and dedication in service delivery should be the top priority, adding that government doctors must prioritize their official duties over private practice.
Highlighting that the government under the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is ensuring prime focus on development of health sector, Sakeena Itoo said that an MRI (3 Tesla) worth Rs. 25 crore and Cath Lab worth Rs. 12.50 crore will be established in GMC Baramulla during the current financial year. She added that these facilities will enhance the diagnostic and interventional care for the residents of North Kashmir and its adjoining areas.
The Minister said that around 50 kanal of land has been transferred to GMC for establishment of separate OPD block and Diagnostic Block which will improve the quality of healthcare at this prestigious health facility of North Kashmir.
The Minister added that Dialysis facilities at SDHs and CHCs besides AI based X-Ray machines and other facilities will also be established in various hospitals and health centres of Baramulla. She also said that digital X-Ray facility will be established at GMC Baramulla in few months for enhanced patient care.
During the meeting, the MLAs raised several critical issues including the duty rosters and round-the-clock presence of doctors, shortage of human resources in the health sector and the need for improved sanitation across the healthcare institutions.
Earlier, the GMC representatives presented a detailed presentation, highlighting various aspects of healthcare delivery at GMC Baramulla, including patient footfall, staff deployment, infrastructure setup and ongoing development works.