MBBS seats to rise from 50 to 100; Health Minister seeks advanced cancer diagnostics as cases climb ‘at an alarming rate’
BuzzBytes
KULGAM, NOVEMBER 07: Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo on Saturday said Outpatient Department (OPD) services at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Awantipora, are expected to begin during the current month.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of developmental projects at Gudder in south Kashmir, Itoo said the OPD facility would provide much-needed relief to the people. “It would be an important step towards ensuring access to advanced healthcare facilities closer to people’s homes, reducing their dependence on hospitals outside the Union Territory,” she said.
She said Union Health Minister J P Nadda, who visited AIIMS Awantipora earlier this week to review the progress of the institute, had issued the necessary directions to the authorities concerned to expedite the process and start OPD services at the earliest.
The Health Minister said she had raised with the Union Health Minister the issue of increasing MBBS seats at AIIMS Awantipora from the existing 50 to 100, and that the demand stands accepted. The increase, she said, would create additional opportunities for aspiring medical students from Jammu and Kashmir and strengthen the region’s medical education infrastructure.
Itoo said she had also urged the Union Health Minister to ensure the availability of advanced medical machinery, modern diagnostic equipment and adequate infrastructure at the institute, so that patients could receive specialised treatment without being compelled to travel to other states.
Highlighting the growing burden of cancer, she said she had specifically sought advanced cancer diagnostic equipment at AIIMS Awantipora for early detection and timely treatment. “Cancer cases are increasing at an alarming rate in Jammu and Kashmir. I have requested the Union Health Minister to ensure that advanced machinery and diagnostic facilities, particularly for cancer detection, are made available at AIIMS Awantipora. Early diagnosis is crucial, as it can help patients receive timely treatment and improve their chances of recovery,” she said.
She said modern diagnostic and treatment facilities at the institute would strengthen the healthcare system in Jammu and Kashmir and provide significant relief to patients, particularly those from economically weaker sections who find it difficult to travel outside the Union Territory for specialised care.
AIIMS Awantipora is among the major centrally sponsored healthcare projects in Jammu and Kashmir and is expected to emerge as a major centre for tertiary healthcare, medical education and research. Its early operationalisation has remained a longstanding demand of residents, who have been awaiting the start of services after several deadlines were missed.
