Advanced healthcare must become a right, not a privilege, says J&K LG

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday stressed that advanced healthcare must become a right and not a privilege, saying it should no longer remain a luxury confined to metropolitan cities.

The Lieutenant Governor addressed the Quaternary Healthcare and Research Summit at the SKICC in Srinagar.

Sinha emphasised that the summit marks a turning point in Jammu and Kashmir and India’s healthcare journey, where the Union Territory and the nation must move beyond tertiary care and embrace quaternary-level treatment and research to ensure equal access for all citizens.

Recalling his visit to Akhnoor during the “Back to Village” programme in 2020, the Lieutenant Governor shared a poignant interaction with doctors who discussed diagnosis for rare diseases and the need for modern equipment.

Sinha said this moment revealed the greatest distance confronting us in the UT is the gap between healthcare available in small district hospitals and the healthcare actually required.

The LG stressed that bridging this gap is a national priority.

The Lieutenant Governor highlighted India’s remarkable progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Free treatment for more than 56 crore citizens surpassed the combined population of the US, France, Italy and the UK, he said, adding that annual vaccination campaigns in the country covering seven crore children equal the population of the UK.

He said even e-Sanjeevani telemedicine providing care to 37 crore people annually exceeded the population of the US.

“Expansion of infrastructure with 23 AIIMS, 2,045 medical colleges; and in Jammu and Kashmir, two AIIMS, 10 medical colleges, two state cancer institutes, a bone and joint hospital, a paediatric hospital, 52 nursing colleges, 23 paramedical colleges and 5 pharmacy colleges are providing robust support to the healthcare ecosystem.

“These figures show that India has succeeded in elevating primary, secondary and tertiary care. But the time has come to scale up tertiary hospitals into quaternary centres,” the LG said.

He stressed that advanced care must no longer remain a luxury confined to metropolitan cities.

“Quaternary care should not be a privilege reserved for the economically rich section of society. It must become a right of citizenship and a guarantee of the nation.

For a very long time, quaternary care has been viewed as a luxury available only in metropolitan cities and accessible only to those who can afford it. I wish to State clearly from this platform that this era must now come to an end. The cooperation of all the stakeholders, private hospitals and research centres is essential for fulfilling this resolve,” he said.

Sinha called upon hospitals to transform themselves into research institutions capable of organ transplantation, robotic and precision surgery, advanced genomics, cellular therapies and AI-supported diagnostics.

He urged hospitals to allocate annual budgets for specialised infrastructure such as modern operating theatres and proton-beam therapy facilities.

“We must always remember that a quaternary centre should be capable of offering every diagnosis and treatment permitted by science. Therefore, hospitals will also have to make budgetary provisions to access expensive and modern technologies such as robotic surgery, gene therapy, proton-beam therapy and artificial intelligence-based advanced diagnostics,” he added.

While preparing the annual budget, hospitals should allocate funds each year for specialised infrastructure. This will enable them to gradually develop facilities such as modern operating theatres for delicate and complex procedures, he said.

The LG also suggested building a new corridor to connect district hospitals and tertiary centres directly with quaternary-care institutions, accelerating diagnostics, imaging and specialist consultations.

He said telemedicine and AI-enabled diagnostic tools should be integrated into standard healthcare infrastructure.

The LG appealed for expanded fellowship and training opportunities in organ transplantation, oncology, genomics and critical care.

“Advanced care is impossible without advanced specialists,” he said.

Sinha also suggested a mission uniting Himalayan states, Jammu and Kashmir, universities, hospitals, private institutions and innovators to jointly advance biomedical research and overcome funding challenges.

“We must develop new inventions ourselves instead of importing innovation from abroad,” he said.

He called for hospitals to be regarded as strategic national assets just like highways and ports, ensuring their preservation and development with equal dedication.

“We must create a robust quaternary-care framework that guarantees equal access to the son of a farmer and to a millionaire living in a city. This task will not be easy, but it must be undertaken as a matter of national dedication and service.

“Let us work together at this summit to prepare a strategy that will be remembered for the precise and effective implementation of these goals,” he said.