Nursing staff backbone of healthcare sector: Lt Governor

Kakryal, May 25: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Wednesday attended the Lamp Lighting and Oath Taking Ceremony of 5th & 6th Batch of B.Sc. Nursing students of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi College of Nursing (SMVDCoN) at Matrika Auditorium of SMVDU.
Baleshwar Rai, Dr Neelam Sareen, Suresh Kumar Sharma (Retd.) Judge, Raghu K. Mehta – Members of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and Dr. Ravindra Kumar Sinha, Vice-Chancellor, SMVDU were present on the occasion which also marked the 4th Annual Day function of SMVDCoN.
Earlier, on his arrival at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, the Lt Governor inaugurated a new 45-bedded General Ward of the hospital equipped with latest medical equipments and dedicated the facility to public.
During his address at the Lamp Lighting Ceremony of SMVDCoN, the Lt Governor congratulated the students embarking on a new journey, and urged them to improve the quality of life and quality of care with dedication and compassion.
Nursing staff is the backbone of the healthcare sector. They are well trained to provide different levels of care in preventive, diagnostic and curative health services, said the Lt Governor.
Highlighting the efforts of the government to transform the health sector in J&K, the Lt Governor said that in the last three years, we have made adequate investment for medical education and training to protect and promote people’s health.
It is our constant endeavour to ensure affordable healthcare to every citizen. Apart from an unprecedented increase in budgetary allocations to health sector, the government has tried to reduce inequalities in healthcare in rural areas, the Lt Governor observed.
“Our focus is availability, quality and affordability to bridge the health gap of people”, added the Lt Governor.
He observed that the lamp lighting and oath-taking ceremony is a perfect tribute to “Florence Nightingale”- the founder of modern nursing and congratulated the management, faculty and staff of College of Nursing on the occasion.
The Lt Governor expressed his gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for making sincere efforts to develop a strong healthcare ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir.
People of J&K were deprived of basic health services for decades. Two AIIMS, two cancer institutes, seven new medical colleges, 15 new nursing colleges, and thousands of health and wellness centers, besides universal health insurance coverage for up to Rs. 5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat-SEHAT have ensured that J&K has the best health care facilities, said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor also appreciated the management of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Hospital for extending quality medical facilities to the people and creating a special 40-bedded ward for the treatment of SEHAT beneficiaries.
He further highlighted various measures being taken by the Government for the welfare and better health of all sections of the society, especially those living in the remote & far-flung areas.
The Lieutenant Governor also recalled many initiatives taken by the Shrine Board including online darshan, home delivery of Prasad, Call Centre, E-Library, Hi-tech Video Wall, Helicopter Service, Battery Car Service, Passenger Ropeway, Pony Service, besides water conservation and sanitation measures.
The projects like Durga Bhavan, Sky Walk, RFID Project, Theme Park, and Shankaracharya Temple will make the pilgrimage of devotees of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi more convenient and memorable, he added.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor presented awards to the best-performing students of SMVDCoN and SMVD Gurukul who excelled in academics and co-curricular activities during the past two years.
Sh. Suresh Kumar Sharma (Retd. Judge), Member of the Shrine Board and Chairman of the Governing Body of the Nursing College, in his welcome address highlighted the achievements of the College in academics and extra-curricular activities, besides 100% placement of the passing out students in various renowned institutions.
Dr. Sunil Sharma, Joint Chief Executive Officer/ Administrator SMVDCoN delivered the vote of thanks.
Mukesh Singh, ADGP, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Anshul Garg, Chief Executive Officer, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board; Navneet Singh, Additional CEO of the Board; Dr. Shailla Cannie, Dean, Faculty of Nursing & Principal SMVDCoN, besides doctors, faculty members and students in large numbers were also present.