CM Omar Abdullah praises doctors, but wants them to serve in peripheral areas

STC NEWS DESK
JAMMU, FEBRUARY 15 (STC): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has showered praises on doctor community for being second God to patients. But at the same time he emphasised that doctors shouldn’t just practice in cities, they need to be in peripheral (rural) areas to raise the standard of medical facilities in such areas.
The Chief Minister was addressing JK MediCon-2025, the first ever National Conference-cum-Workshop, on February 14 at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu.
The event was organized by the J&K Medical Council in collaboration with the Student Research Development Council (SRDC).
The chief minister emphasized the need to improve handling of emergency cases and capacity at various Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) to ease the burden on major hospitals.
He also stressed the importance of ensuring that doctors serve beyond urban centers.
“We need to augment and improve the emergency handling capability and capacity in new GMCs so that the pressure on GMC Jammu and GMC Srinagar is automatically reduced. Similarly, we must ensure that our doctors don’t just practice in cities. I know it’s not a popular thing to say, but rural areas also deserve proper healthcare access,” he said.
“Our challenge is to make healthcare more easily accessible. Excessive pressure on GMC Jammu’s emergency services stems from the fact that healthcare in peripheral areas is not of the required standard. This forces people to flood into cities,” he noted and added “the way to reduce this pressure is by strengthening facilities in peripheral areas. There was a time when we only had GMC Jammu and GMC Srinagar. Now, we have GMCs at the district level,” CM Omar Abdullah said.
Meanwhile, the chief minister praised doctors for their dedication and lifelong learning.“You pull people back from the jaws of death. You give hope where all hope seems lost. You stand by patients and their families at their most vulnerable moments—whether in recovery or in times of loss,” he said.
“As doctors, you never stop learning. You are always adapting to new techniques, medicines, and treatment methods. But no machine can replace the human touch when a doctor delivers a diagnosis or a prognosis. Patients and their families hold on to every word a doctor says,” he added.
The conference was attended by Minister for Health & Medical Education Sakina Itoo, former Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Secretary H&ME Dr. Syed Abid Rashid, Jammu West MLA Arvind Gupta, Principal & Dean of GMC Jammu Dr. Ashutosh Gupta, Chairman JK Medical Council Dr. Muhammad Saleem Khan, senior professors, doctors, faculty and students.
Omar Abdullah highlighted his government’s commitment to improving healthcare accessibility across Jammu and Kashmir. (STC)