GKF - Mission 2026: Strengthening the Heart of the Community
As the Gauri Kaul Foundation (GKF) enters its sixth year of service in 2026, it stands as a pillar of preventive cardiology and community health in Jammu and Kashmir, the foundation is set to scale its impact through a series of ambitious projects aimed at bridging the healthcare divide between urban centres and remote outreach areas .
Since its inception on April 13, 2021, the foundation has transformed from a mission of hope into a robust healthcare network. Key milestones include: Establishing the state-of-the-art Gauri Heart Centre in Srinagar and the Prasad Joo Khan Heart Centre in the remote village of Hawal, Pulwama. Both the centres have state of art day care facilities for complete non invasive cardiology diagnosis and treatment facilities. Facilities like extended loop recording for 7 days and head up tilt testing (HUTT) for diagnosing cause of fainting episodes were started for the first time in the valley in 2021 by us. The centres have doctors and para medics available throughout the day. All efforts are made to complete the work up and start the treatment the same day. The centre has been bringing innovative medical treatments first time in the union territory. Examples are bringing in drugs like Verciguat, for worsening heart failure as soon as it was available in India in September 2022 and Mavacamten for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy recently in October 2025. Our dedicated telecardiology projects were launched in in Machil (near the LoC) which gets cut off from towns of Kupwara district during the winter months and the deprived inhabitants of the Jagti Migrant Township in Jammu thus providing 24/7 expert consultations to the needy communities.
Our outreach facility in district Pulwama will have a full-time physician specialist available throughout the week for treating all general medicine problems besides supporting our cardiology program. The centre also has a blood testing facility for carrying out any blood test available in the country. The Govt approved pharmacy has been upgraded with more variety of drugs from reliable manufacturers at the lowest prices for the patients of the entire area. A facility for home delivery has also been initiated.
The concept of Heart Clinic on Wheels with facilities was launched in early 2025 with support from Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL). This mobile unit brought advanced diagnostics (Echo, ECG, and point-of-care biochemistry) to the doorsteps of thousands in South Kashmir. Such comprehensive facilities which include portable echocardiography have been rare even in the main land India. This facility has been the back bone of our outreach programs which were started in the last quarter of 2025.
The Gauri Research Centre (GRC) became the only non-government unit in J&K accredited by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), for conducting vital clinical trials on local health patterns. A number of new investigator-initiated trials and participation in the global trials especially on heart failure and new therapies are on the anvil.
The 2026 Roadmap: Expanding Horizons
The focus for 2026 is a strategic expansion of successful pilot programs, ensuring that high-quality cardiac care is not a privilege of the few but a right for all. The school health Screening will be continued and by the end of the year we hope to cover more than half of the schools as per our statistical sample size. The program aims to detect rheumatic heart disease (RHD), congenital Heart Defects (CHD) and obesity in children aged 5–15 years.
Another adult community Health program to detect and analyse the Gap Analysis Utilizing the “Heart Clinic on Wheels,” will embark on a comprehensive district-wise project to visit “Health and Wellness Centres” the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. The objective being to identify gaps in the management of hypertension, diabetes, and existing heart diseases. Optimized treatment plans will be refined based on on-spot diagnostic tests including echocardiography and point of care tests. To ensure sustainability, patients will receive affordable, high-quality medications through the Jan Aushadhi scheme. A rigorous follow-up system is being instituted where patients will be monitored every three months for a full year to track clinical outcomes and treatment adherence. Both these programs have the official approval of the authorities and the costs will be borne by the foundation and are free for the patients.
Marking the transition into this new phase, the foundation will celebrate its Founders Day on April 17, 2026, which also serves as the host for the Spring CME (Continuing Medical Education). The event will be inaugurated by Mian Altaf Ahmad, MP a long-standing supporter of the foundation’s mission. After giving a resume of the foundations work in progress by the Directors Prof Upendra Kaul, Dr Priyadarshini Arambam and the executors Dr Abid Hussain and his team, a high-level symposium titled “Health Issues in Outreach Areas of Jammu and Kashmir” will be the key activity. It will feature a distinguished panel of experts: Prof. N. K. Arora (Director, INCLEN Trust), Mr M. A. Pathan (Former CEO, IOCL), Prof. Nasir Ganie (VC, SKUAST), Prof. Iffat Hassan (Principal, GMC Srinagar) and Prof. Ashraf Ganie (Director, SKIMS).
The educational activity “Spring CME” will discuss and deliberate on futuristic topics like “Beyond LDL cholesterol reduction- Managing Lipoprotein(a)”, Hypertension treatment programs based on artificial intelligence, Cardiovascular Kidney Metabolic Syndrome – a therapeutic challenge and new therapies in managing a common arrhythmia “Atrial Fibrillation”. The speakers will be the expert faculty from SKIMS, GMC, GKF and eminent teachers now working in the private hospitals of the city.
The vision of the foundation through its activities is to improve the Quality and availability of health care especially related to non-communicable disease with a focus on Cardiac issues in the UT, where every person can lead a life with dignity and vitality. This is possible only through an unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation and inclusivity and pass on this inspiration to the future generations.
Prof Upendra Kaul, Founder Director Gauri Kaul Foundation
