Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today inaugurated 10-bed state-of-the-art Palliative/Geriatric Care Wards in all districts of Jammu & Kashmir.
While congratulating the Health department for creating the much-needed facility, the Lt Governor said the landmark step bridges a decades-old void in our healthcare system by offering dedicated facilities to elderly and critically-ill ageing patients, ensuring their dignity and quality of life.
The Lt Governor observed that the need for accessible, effective geriatrics and palliative care has grown over the past several decades, but remained unaddressed in J&K.
“The Palliative/Geriatric Care, which I had the pleasure to inaugurate today, demonstrates another social dimension. It places the care of the elderly as a top priority of the entire healthcare ecosystem in our quest towards building a strong, prosperous, and caring UT”, said the Lt Governor.
Lt Governor said that the government is introducing new reforms for developing a balanced healthcare ecosystem that promotes social equality, besides ensuring easily accessible quality health facilities for all.
This important stride in the healthcare sector truly symbolizes Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi’s vision of self-reliance, achieving excellence in modern health facilities for remote locations, and reducing the urban-rural divide to deliver services at people’s doorstep, added the Lt Governor.
“Our efforts to reform the health sector have been impressive. We have addressed the health infrastructure issue with a comprehensive and long-term national vision under the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister and even the far-flung areas now have adequate, affordable, and reliable healthcare facilities”, said the Lt Governor.
New infrastructure has been built at a cost of Rs 7177 crore; 140 projects have been completed by spending Rs 881 crore to strengthen basic health facilities in all the districts. Moreover, Rs 7873 crore has been allocated for the health sector in this year’s budget, which will create unprecedented health facilities in the UT, added the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor expressed gratitude to the Doctors, paramedics, healthcare workers for their tireless contribution towards making J&K a leading UT in Covid management and vaccination in the country.
‘To serve the one in need is our culture. We must dedicate ourselves to the service of mankind with responsibility, compassion, and utmost sensitivity and make the healthcare facilities easily accessible to all’, observed the Lt Governor.
