'Snatched Autonomy' Of SKIMS Kashmir Echoes In Parliament; Patient-care, Management Hit, Says Mian Altaf

J&K National Conference MP from Anantnag-Rajouri Seat, Mian Altaf said in Lok Sabha on Friday that the Modi government has taken away the autonomy of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), the tertiary care hospital in Srinagar. Altaf said the move has affected the hospital's management and patient care. Reports ETV Bharat's Mir Farhat.

Srinagar:Kashmir's premier health institute, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), echoed in parliament on Friday as the National Conference Member of Parliament Mian Altaf said that the institute has deteriorated after its autonomy was ended last year.

"SKIMS is an old health institution of Kashmir whose autonomy was ended by the BJP government. BJP had in its agenda ending autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir but not the autonomy of the SKIMS," Mian Altaf said in Lok Sabha today while speaking on grants for health in the budget.

He said that snatching SKIMS' autonomy affected hospital management and patient-care. However, the MP didn't demand its restoration during the speech. The BJP government in February last year ended the financial and administrative autonomy of SKIMS by bringing it under the control of the Health and Medical Education Department.

The General Administration Department had on 28 February 2023 written to the then Director SKIMS, Soura, that all the matters of SKIMS, Soura must be submitted for the necessary action of the Competent Authority through Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department.

SKIMS has a deemed university status. It comprises the main SKIMS hospital, State Cancer Institute, Maternity Hospital, Nursing College, Paramedical College, and an affiliated medical college & hospital in Bemina.

The previous governments in Jammu and Kashmir had kept its financial and administrative control as autonomous under the control of its director. The chief minister was the chairperson of its governing body, which performed the role of a cabinet for this institute.

The snatching of autonomy was opposed by the opposition political parties in the valley last year. In June last year, a delegation of led by now defunct Peoples Alliance For Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) chairperson Farooq Abdullah, CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami and PDP leader Mehboob Beg had met the LG Manoj and demanded that the government should restore the autonomous character of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). However, the government binned their demands like other demands.

Read More