Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said advanced healthcare must no longer remain a luxury limited to metropolitan cities and should instead be accessible to every citizen. Addressing the Quaternary Healthcare and Research Summit in Srinagar, he stressed the need to expand specialised medical treatment and research facilities across Jammu and Kashmir and the country.
Sinha said quaternary healthcare, which includes highly specialised treatments and advanced medical research, should be treated as a right rather than a privilege available only to economically well-off people. He called for moving beyond tertiary care and developing hospitals capable of providing complex treatments closer to patients.
The Lieutenant Governor highlighted the expansion of healthcare infrastructure in India and Jammu and Kashmir, noting the development of AIIMS, medical colleges, cancer institutes and specialised hospitals. He said the next priority should be to transform selected tertiary hospitals into quaternary-care centres equipped with advanced technology and specialised expertise.
He urged hospitals to invest in modern operating theatres and facilities for organ transplantation, robotic and precision surgery, advanced genomics, cellular therapies and AI-supported diagnostics. He also called for greater fellowship and training opportunities in areas such as oncology, organ transplantation, genomics and critical care.
Sinha proposed establishing stronger links between district hospitals, tertiary institutions and quaternary-care centres so that patients can receive faster diagnosis, imaging and specialist consultations. He also stressed the importance of integrating telemedicine and artificial intelligence into healthcare infrastructure.
Calling hospitals strategic national assets, the Lieutenant Governor said advanced medical facilities should be accessible equally to people living in rural areas and those in cities. He urged healthcare institutions, researchers, private hospitals and innovators to work together to build a robust quaternary healthcare system in Jammu and Kashmir.
