Chief Minister flags ‘conspicuous absence’ of officers at SKIMS Foundation Day

Srinagar, Dec 5: At the 43rd Annual Day celebration of SKIMS Soura held at SKICC on the birth anniversary of its founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took note of an unusual absence — no administrative officials were present at the event.

Addressing the gathering, he openly questioned the no-show. “Not a single officer attended. I wonder why — have they been asked not to come?” he remarked, drawing attention to the issue from the stage.

CM said that despite the Institute not being directly under the government’s control, support and project clearances have consistently been extended. “Whenever SKIMS needed funding or approval, we have delivered,” Omar said, calling for a detailed proposal for a large-scale patient-care project, especially for people travelling from remote districts.

Omar Abdullah on the occassion said that Jammu and Kashmir has gained access to the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) — a zero-interest loan repayable over 50 years — for the first time, opening a capital window of nearly Rs 2,000 crore,

He said the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) would be facilitated with Rs 200–Rs 250 crore for a major healthcare project under the scheme.

Elaborating on the SASCI inclusion, Omar said the provision was earlier restricted to states, but the Centre extended it to Union Territories after his request. Calling the loan “virtually free,” he urged SKIMS to submit a project of Rs 150–Rs 200 crore, assuring annual funding support of Rs 50–Rs 60 crore, with the condition that funds allocated each year must be utilised within that year for continued sanction. “The project has to be meaningful, useful for people, and must be completed during this government’s tenure of the next three to four years,” he added.

Reflecting on 43 years of SKIMS, he said it was remarkable to imagine how such an institution was envisioned and built in those times. “Even today, people trust SKIMS for quality healthcare — one of the best in the country,” he said, crediting Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s foresight in establishing it.

Omar praised the Director SKIMS, faculty, medical staff, paramedics, technical teams and administration for maintaining standards of care, pledging continued support “so that decades later, this day is remembered as a milestone for the Institute.”

Earlier, Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Itoo addressed the gathering, lauding SKIMS for transforming healthcare access in Kashmir. She said that before its establishment, people lacked treatment options and often fell into poverty seeking care outside J&K. She described the institute as the realisation of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s vision of healthcare as a basic right.