J&K is now emerging as a preferred destination for hosting national and international medical and other academic conferences conferences, reflects change of mood: Dr. Jitendra Singh

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today said, Jammu & Kashmir, including Srinagar, is now emerging as a preferred destination for hosting national and international medical and other academic conferences, particularly after the highly successful G20 meet at Srinagar.

This reflects a change of mood in the region, he said.

Dr. Jitendra Singh was addressing a Workshop on Communication in Healthcare organized by National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences in Srinagar.

During his address, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the success of G20 meeting (3rd Tourism Working Group Meeting) at Srinagar is explicitly showing that Kashmir is changing rapidly under Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi.

The successful G20 meeting attended by the highest number of delegates at Srinagar is in itself an indication of the change that has happened over the last 9 years particularly after the path breaking initiatives taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr. Jitendra Singh added.

During the workshop, Dr. Jitendra Singh marked a significant milestone in underscoring the importance of proper communication in quality healthcare delivery.

While marking the profound importance of effective communication in the field of healthcare, Dr. Singh emphasized that healthcare is not just a science but an art, one that encompasses not only the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses but also the delicate and compassionate act of communicating with patients and their families.

The Union Minister expressed happiness in selecting Srinagar as the venue for this workshop and highlighted the rich legacy of healthcare in J&K. He said that the region has always been considered as the seat of medical learning and has been way ahead in this field even when disturbances came up in the 1990s. A series of successful meetings have led to this positive perception and an evidence of the fact is that more and more events are taking place in the valley.

Dr. Singh highlighted the astounding success of G20 meeting organised at Srinagar and is considered one of the best meetings held all across the country marking maximum attendance of delegates. All the official and nonofficial events marked the success of G20 with a huge media presence. Recent two-day conference on administrative reforms also garnered a good response and is a testimony of the fact that we are marching ahead.

Dr. Singh enlightened the audience that the Diplomate of National Board (DNB) programme took a little longer time to implement in this region but we are marching ahead at a smooth pace even in the times when so much transition is taking place. We have seen a shift from communication based healthcare to non-communication based one due to many factors including technological interventions, Dr. Singh added. The technological revolution has paved a way into the healthcare sector and has now an influence on how medical healthcare is imparted to the patients. Healthcare may have become more effective and easier but individual contact has been lost, he further added.

Dr Singh said that India being a heterogeneous country, these facilities of no or less communications have come as a boon as well. Telemedicine too is also changing the scenario in the peripheral areas while citing an example of a remote area of Kathua District.

Talking about bringing in human touch as a priority of the government, Dr. Singh spoke about Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) and how a human touch is induced after every complaint is resolved to give it a human angle.

Dr. Singh underlined the necessity to draw an optimum balance in an age when communication comes at a cost and has developed into a lucrative business. We all were always taught to communicate well with patients, it was not for the benefit of the patient but also for self-growth and that has to be kept in mind always.

He applauded the efforts of the Jammu and Kashmir government and NBEMS for their dedication to enhancing healthcare in the region, significantly increasing the number of PG seats and courses available, allowing citizens to receive high-quality treatment within the UT.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Jitendra Singh reiterated that effective healthcare communication is a non-negotiable aspect of the profession, differentiating excellent healthcare from the rest.

Earlier, Shri Bhupendra Kumar, Secretary, Department of Health and Medical Education Department spoke and extended gratitude to NBEMS in organising the workshop. He further said that NBEMS has changed the way public services healthcare was perceived in the UT. After taking learnings from states like Tamilnadu and with the guidance from the Union Ministry of Health we managed to fill in the gaps and lacuna. The outcome has been remarkable on ground with more access to healthcare, reduced waiting time for surgeries, scaled up patient satisfaction levels in remote areas and with reduced referral rate, Shri Kumar added.