Sakeena Itoo hails PG seat expansion, terms it major milestone in transforming J&K into medical education hub
Says this achievement reflects government’s push to elevate J&K’s medical education standards, specialised healthcare services
JAMMU, FEBRUARY 21: In a landmark development and significant boost to specialised medical education in Jammu and Kashmir, National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 24 new super-specialty postgraduate (PG) seats in Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) of Jammu and Srinagar, and SKIMS Soura.
The seats have been approved in streams like Cardiology, Urology, Pulmonary Medicine, Medical Gastroenterology, Paediatric Surgery, Neuro-Anaesthesia, Paediatric and Neonatal Anaesthesia and Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology.
Welcoming the development, Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo described this development as a major milestone, adding that this transformational step underscores the Government’s firm commitment to expanding specialised healthcare infrastructure and medical education opportunities within Jammu and Kashmir.
“This achievement reflects Omar Abdullah led Government’s sustained efforts to improve healthcare standards and ensure advanced and specialised medical services are available within Jammu and Kashmir. The addition of super-specialty PG seats will not only empower our young doctors with opportunities for advanced training locally but will also significantly benefit patients by improving access to specialised care,” the Health Minister said.
She further emphasized that the expansion of super-specialty seats aligns with the broader vision of strengthening the healthcare ecosystem, reducing patient referrals outside J&K, and ensuring timely, high-quality treatment closer to home.
The Minister acknowledged the continuous efforts of the faculty, medical college administrations and Department, adding that their dedication and compliance with NMC standards made this approval possible.
She reiterated that the Government will continue to prioritise investments in medical education, infrastructure, and human resource development to ensure that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have access to world-class healthcare facilities.
“This development marks another milestone in the Government’s ongoing healthcare reforms and reinforces our commitment to transforming Jammu and Kashmir into a centre of excellence in medical education and specialised healthcare”, Minister Sakeena said.
Pertinently, the NMC has approved four seats in DM Cardiology and four seats in MCh Urology for GMC, Jammu, two seats each in DM Pulmonary Medicine, DM Cardiology, DM Medical Gastroenterology, M.Ch Urology and M.Ch Paediatric Surgery for GMC Srinagar, besides two seats each in DM Neuro-Anaesthesia, DM Paediatric and Neonatal Anaesthesia and DM Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology for Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Srinagar.
