Reforms needed to improve healthcare in Jammu & Kashmir: Omar

Srinagar, Oct 21: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today stressed on the need for health sector reforms to ensure better delivery of services to patients and equipping hospitals with modern technologies.

"Jammu and Kashmir is a difficult and geographically diverse area where population in remote areas is sparsely distributed. As such, a well-defined health care system should be in place to cater to the needs of people in villages, towns and cities," Omar said while chairing the Sixth meeting of Task Force on Health Sector Reforms here.

The Chief Minister said super speciality hospitals are required to be strengthened and modernised and there is a need to enhance and upgrade health facilities in rural health centres so that load of patients in city hospitals can be reduced. He said efforts to rope in private investment in health sector and launch of joint ventures need to be encouraged.

Omar said availability of doctors and paramedics in hospitals is as important as modernisation of health centres. The Chief Minister was apprised of the measures afoot to bring reforms in the health sector to make it more effective during the meeting. Minister for Medical Education Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Minister of State for Health Shabir Ahmad Khan,

Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Principal Secretaries and Administrative Secretaries concerned, senior officers and members of the Task Force attended the meeting.

PTI