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Srinagar, Jun 30 (UNI) Seeking the support of private sector in creating specialty and super specialty hospitals in the state, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad also appealed to doctors, who have migrated to different parts of the world, to come back and serve the people here.

Mr Azad, underscoring the need of super specialty hospitals in the State, said that his government is enlisting the support of private sector in creating specialty and super specialty hospitals in the two cities of Srinagar and Jammu and at district headquarters to cover larger chunk of population under modern health care facilities.

This, he said, would also reduce the number of petients in government hospitals in the cities and districts.

Addressing a function held at Sher Kashmir Institute Convention Complex (SKICC) on 'Doctor's Day', being celebrated throughout the country on July 1 in memory of Dr B C Roy, he said that the specialized hospitals would be connected to the block level hospitals and mobile diagnostic units through telemedicine connectivity to make the state-of-the-art medical service available to the rural as well as urban population.

The Chief Minister said that public private partnership in health sector is a viable alternative for catering to the health care needs of the people living in remote areas.

''My government is pursuing it with full conviction'', he added.

Mr Azad said Health is one of the priority sectors and National Health Policy calls for achieving an acceptable standard of good health of all the citizens.

He said though the state has made considerable progress in the area of health care yet, a lot needs to be done to make adequate health care available to the common people at their door steps.

The Chief Minister said that about 3698 health institutions of various categories are functioning in the state as on March 2006.

Similarly, about 12855 beds are available in these health institutions with 5506 doctors, vaids and hakeems working therein, he added.

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