A proposed Research Consortium involving Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), AIIMS New Delhi and PGIMER Chandigarh, with support from NITI Aayog, emerged as a key outcome of the three-day Quaternary Healthcare and Research Summit held at SKICC, Srinagar.
He underlined J&K’s skilled human resources while acknowledging financial constraints in expanding advanced infrastructure. Deliberations covered structured referral systems, digital governance, artificial intelligence and advanced clinical services. “The consortium will enable institutions to pool expertise and accelerate multidisciplinary research. With support from SOTTO and NOTTO, an actionable blueprint is being developed to strengthen the ecosystem.
At the valedictory session, chief minister Omar Abdullah said quality healthcare is an obligation of the government, but cautioned that the shift towards quaternary care should not weaken primary and secondary healthcare. He said the fourth tier should reduce pressure on tertiary institutions and be judged by whether it improves access and decongests existing facilities. Recalling the vision behind SKIMS, he said it was created to bring advanced care closer to the people and hoped the summit would provide a practical pathway for a fourth tier in J&K. Director SKIMS, professor Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, said the recommendations would be consolidated into an actionable white paper to provide a roadmap for implementation. He highlighted SKIMS’ progress in fund utilisation, infrastructure augmentation and expansion of complex procedures,” he said adding that another key recommendation concerns organ donation and transplantation.
