It is a proud occasion for us to celebrate the 37th Annual Day of SKIMS-the Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences. SKIMS has successfully delivered decades of uninterrupted service to the society and SKIMS fraternity needs congratulations for a job well-done. SKIMS Objective was and continues to be that there shall be no need for next patient in need of tertiary-care to go out as SKIMS shall deliver the most sophisticated and modern management (equal or better than available anywhere in the World) to all such patients with complex diseases. Focus has to be on Quality, while maintaining Quantity through state-of-art tertiary care, cutting edge research on diseases prevalent in the region to save lives and generate high quality manpower. Conceptually, SKIMS was built as a as a free-for-service facility and not a pay-for-service facility. I believe SKIMS has fulfilled its objectives, has maintained focus on quality in patientcare, research and teaching and delivered high quality services at a nominal cost to the poor and needy. All this is indeed a remarkable feat accomplished. This could only be achieved by highly committed manpower who have over the years spend their precious moments within the four walls of this sacred place of service.
SKIMS is
a national asset and an Institution of great public importance. Life of every
person in our society is connected with the optimum delivery of this
institution. Medical community of the nation and the whole world is watching
SKIMS for the message it gives about the developments in medical field. I
believe we have a huge potential to perform, in view of the large pool of
intelligent manpower available and unexplored diseases in this inbred society.
To implement SKIMS concept, hundreds of top medical brains of the country and
the West debated for years and every aspect of the Institute, structure and
functioning, was drafted. These policies and practices formed the nerve of this
institution and SKIMS came with a big bang at National and International arena
in its very infancy.
Over the years SKIMS has had many threats to its existence which
included:
- Social transformation inherent in the “Area of Conflict”
- Exodus
of the medical personal - Inability to attract Men-of-Imminence from outside,
- Excessive pressure on the existing
skeletal staff - Higher incidence of diseases, especially
related to Cancer, Diabetes mellitus, Coronary artery diseases, Liver diseases,
Strokes etc., - Changing epidemiology of diseases with
trauma and mental health disorders as front runners.
However, SKIMS has adapted to all these
changes and has taken positions on many vital issues. Also, policies and
practices framed and so vital to State-of-Art care have been modified
accordingly & optimally. With continuous rapid advances in medical
practice, SKIMS has kept pace with newer developments by continuously
introducing new technology and have employed new faculty of imminence trained
to deliver the best. All this should make SKIMS
fraternity feel proud of their achievements under such difficult conditions.
As SKIMS is committed to maintain its heights in areas
of patientcare, research and teaching, many doctrines inherent to deliver the
best need to be under focus and constant watch. These include:
- Always to keep objective of SKIMS in focus &
implement/alter policies & practices to achieve it. We need to create and
maintain optimum working environment for public satisfaction, optimum
patientcare and safe practices. - To maintain faculty of imminence by continuously
training existing faculty in new technologies and employing new faculty who are
trained to deliver the best. - Develop/promote excellent hospital services which will
have major impact on public service, patient satisfaction and SKIMS perception.
It is worthwhile to have academic review of each service periodically &
enforce/change guidelines to maintain quality of services. - Maintain high quality of care in consonance with the
primary SKIMS goal. The debate between Quantity vs. Quality is a valid question
even as of today and what all needs to be done is to maintain Quality care
while treating numbers. - Continue to conduct cutting edge research, which
should focus on diseases affecting the common man and should be of high
standards and be able to save lives, reduce human suffering and alleviate human
anguish and pain. - Implement/maintain Primary-Physician Policy by giving
logistic support to faculty on-call team within SKIMS. It will have major
impact on patientcare, help patient satisfaction & confidence, improve
quality of care, enforce safe practices and help resident training. - Expand Time-Schedule [8AM to 6PM] by 2-shift system
for staff in selected areas of service like Theatre, Imaging, laboratory,
clinics, etc. This shall enhance productivity, reduce waiting time, improve
availability of services. This has been practiced in the past with excellent
results. - Curb inter-personal faculty conflicts by counselling,
interaction and words of wisdom from the seniors. - Implement ban on private practice in letter &
spirit. This shall have major impact in working atmosphere of SKIMS. While doing so, maintain dignity and respect
of the faculty. Ban can be enforced through step-wise procedure like counseling/warning and may be
limiting facilities, promotions, other benefits, etc. Suspensions and other harsh measures only to
be implemented under rare of the rare circumstances. Defining privatepractice a
criminal act is unfortunate and this order needs to be withdrawn. - Continue to maintain Policy Procedure Practice Regulations (IPPR’s)
about patientcare; Enforce M & M (Morbidity & Morbidity) to protect
patient’s safety; Implement Material Management Policy as it existed in the
past and maintain administrative hierarchy for personal and policy matters of
SKIMS, which shall improve staff satisfaction and helpmaintain confidentiality
of records.
It is a matter of great satisfaction
that, of late, there are concerted efforts to redefine the concepts of this
great Institution. SKIMS is being redefined from an administrative department
to an Institution with high values in Academics, Research, teaching, high
quality patientcare and society-friendly measures to help the needy, the
oppressed and the poor. SKIMS fraternity and in particular SKIMS faculty is a
great national asset. We should do all that is needed to maintain the SKIMS
fraternity in house and satisfied, support them to do the best and make SKIMS
environment to attract faculty/staff of high calibre. A note should be taken of
the political and administrative vendetta which SKIMS fraternity/faculty may be
subjected to for reasons outside the domain of administrative norms. By these
important concepts, SKIMS should be sought for the positionas anAutonomous
baby, which shall be able to take decisions of its own without much
interferencefrom political and administrative breaks and develop its own checks
and balances. SKIMS fraternity will have/need little time to spend
approachingthose in power for getting little benefits and advantages. I am sure
all this shall enhance the glory of SKIMS and pave way for counting this pearl
in to a national and international monument. I pray that all of us take a new
oath to re-explore for a new glorious beginning of SKIMS. God bless…
Prof. Mohammad Sultan Khuroo isformer Director, Professor and Head Gastroenterology, Chairman Dept. Medicine, Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Kashmir, India. ( [email protected] )
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