Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Mar 6: In the past five years, approximately 11,000 doctors and paramedics have been hired under the National Health Mission (NHM) in Jammu and Kashmir, while over 36,000 regular positions have been filled in the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department.
According to the 2024 Economic Survey Report, the J&K government’s focus on healthcare reforms demonstrates a strong commitment to improving the sector in alignment with international standards. The emphasis has been on maternal and child health, disease prevention, and addressing future health challenges.
Recent achievements, particularly the improvement in the SDG India Index, highlight efforts to enhance healthcare accessibility and progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Despite setbacks like the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed infrastructure weaknesses, the government has increased investments in healthcare and leveraged digital platforms to expand the reach.
The report states that J&K has expanded its healthcare workforce over the last five years. This includes hiring 10,919 doctors and paramedical staff under NHM and filling 36,274 regular positions in the H&ME Department. Additionally, 365 medical officers were appointed in 2024 and deployed in peripheral areas to strengthen patient care in remote regions. The initiative is supported by 13,965 ASHAs, increased MBBS and PG seats, and DNB programs in new GMCs and health institutions. Health and Wellness Centres, Jan Aushadhi Kendras, Amrit Stores, and digital health initiatives like tele-radiology and Tele Manas have also been established to enhance healthcare services.
J&K has extended the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to 19.02 lakh additional families, which was earlier available to only 6.70 lakh SECC families, according to the report. The region has been recognised for its best practices in implementing ABPMJAY SEHAT, providing around 15 lakh treatments and saving approximately Rs 2800 crore in inpatient expenses.
Launched in 2022, Tele Manas provides 24×7 tele-mental health counselling services, ensuring accessible and affordable mental healthcare. A Tele Manas UT-level cell and a mentoring institute have been established at IMHANS, Psychiatric Diseases Hospital, GMC Srinagar, providing round-the-clock services. For the smooth conduct of the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2024, two semi-permanent 100-bed hospitals have been developed at Baltal and Chandanwari under CSR initiatives to provide medical facilities to pilgrims.
Jammu and Kashmir has achieved milestones in healthcare through comprehensive initiatives. The region has successfully implemented universal health insurance coverage under AB-PMJAY and PMJAY-SEHAT, targeting 100% family registration and issuance of approximately 86.12 lakh golden cards. This initiative has facilitated treatments worth Rs 2800 crore, benefiting more than 15 lakh people since its inception.
The healthcare infrastructure has been substantially enhanced, increasing bed capacity to about 21,966 beds and expanding medical oxygen generation capacity from 14,916 LPM to 1,27,901 LPM since August 2020 through 177 Oxygen Generation Plants. The region has also made strides in medical education with the sanctioning of 394 Diplomate of National Board (DNB) seats, ensuring equitable healthcare service distribution across challenging terrains and remote areas.
The region’s ambulance services have been bolstered with 489 geo-tagged ambulances, including 139 Advance Life Support (ALS), 64 Basic Life Support, and 286 regular ambulances, integrated with online 108/102 ambulatory services. These efforts have enabled quick response times, with an average response time of less than half an hour, and have served more than 4.30 lakh beneficiaries since August 2020.
In tuberculosis (TB) elimination, J&K received prestigious accolades at the ONE WORLD TB SUMMIT 2023, including a Bronze Medal for achieving over a 20% reduction in TB incidence compared to 2015. District-level successes include Pulwama and Anantnag achieving TB-free status with over 80% reduction, whereas Budgam was already declared TB-free. District Srinagar received a Gold Medal for over a 60% reduction, while Jammu and Kathua districts were recognised with Bronze Medals.
The health sector in Jammu and Kashmir is embracing digital transformation to enhance healthcare accessibility and quality through various initiatives. E-Sanjeevani facilitates telemedicine consultations across specialities, which is crucial for remote areas like J&K, where more than 9.5 lakh consultations have already been conducted. The state is expanding tele-health services, including Tele-Medicine, Tele-ICU, Tele-Radiology, Tele-X-Ray, and Tele-CT Scan capabilities across its health institutions.
The Drug and Vaccine Distribution Management System (DVDMS) manages online drug and vaccine distribution, while the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission digitises health records for improved healthcare delivery. So far, 90.84 lakh ABHA health IDs have been created, 79 lakh health records have been linked to the platform, and 100% of public health facilities have been registered on the Health Facility Registry (HFR). Additionally, 84% of doctors and 86% of nurses have been registered on the Healthcare Professional Registry (HPR), and 60 lakh online QR-based tokens have been generated to date.
Looking ahead, J&K’s Health Department aims to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030, focusing on child health milestones, disease reduction strategies, and ending epidemics, the report states, adding that the strategic roadmap includes strengthening primary healthcare systems, improving medical education, and exploring public-private partnerships to ensure comprehensive and quality healthcare for all residents.
