Jammu, Dec 24: In line with the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Vision 2030 for the health sector, aligned with the J&K Vision Document @2047, Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo, on Wednesday chaired a detailed review meeting at the Civil Secretariat here to assess the Health Department’s action plan for achieving this goal, primarily aimed at strengthening the public healthcare system across Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting was attended by Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah; MD NHM, Baseer ul Haq Chaudhary; CEO State Health Agency, Ananth Dwivedi; Managing Director, JKMSCL, Tariq Hussain Ganai; Commissioner Food and Drug Administration, Smita Sethi; Director SKIMS, Dr Ashraf Ganie; Director Finance Health; Director Planning Health; Director Health Services Kashmir/Jammu; Director Coordination; new GMCs; Director Family Welfare and Immunisation; Principals of all Medical Colleges; and other concerned officers, either in person or via video conference. During the meeting, Minister Sakeena conducted a detailed assessment of key priority areas such as upgradation of healthcare infrastructure, strengthening primary and secondary healthcare services, human resource optimisation, adoption of modern medical technologies, and improved availability of essential medicines and diagnostics. She also laid special emphasis on ensuring last-mile delivery of health services, particularly in rural and remote areas. The Minister stressed to the officers that the action plan for achieving Vision 2030 must be meticulously designed to translate the Chief Minister’s vision of accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare for all into tangible outcomes. “Time-bound implementation of ongoing initiatives, efficient resource utilisation, and a people-centric approach in healthcare delivery are vital for achieving the objectives of Vision 2030,” Minister Sakeena stated. She emphasised the importance of inter-departmental coordination and continuous monitoring to meet the targets set under Vision 2030. She directed officials to adopt innovative solutions, leverage digital health initiatives, and enhance accountability mechanisms to improve patient outcomes. While reviewing the overall functioning of the health sector across J&K, the Minister highlighted the procurement of quality equipment for health facilities that meet the public’s needs. She also called upon officers to maintain transparency in tender procedures and ensure timely deployment of procured machinery and equipment in hospitals. Further, she directed the immediate deployment of the newly procured ambulance fleet at hospitals, underscoring that ambulances are a basic necessity for improving healthcare services. To address manpower gaps—doctors and paramedical staff—in rural and remote areas, the Minister called on the department to develop an incentive scheme that provides additional benefits to staff posted there. She also directed the Secretary of Health to rationalise NHM doctors and staff and to post them at places facing staffing shortages. Additionally, she instructed the Secretary to cancel attachments of all NHM doctors and reassign them to their respective postings. The Minister asked the CEO of the State Health Agency to strengthen the Anti-Fraud Unit to timely detect and act against frauds involved in the Sehat Scheme. She urged the CEO to break any nexus between doctors and private hospitals involved in deceiving patients under the scheme. While reviewing the functioning of the Food and Drug Administration, the Minister called upon the Commissioner to ensure constant surveillance of food and eatery products entering J&K. She emphasised strengthening market checking squads at block, tehsil, and district levels to maintain food standards across the region. The Minister also directed the Commissioner to actively pursue cases against violators and take appropriate legal action. Reiterating the Omar Abdullah-led government’s commitment to accessible, affordable healthcare, the Minister said that the department remains focused on building a resilient, inclusive, and responsive healthcare system that meets the evolving needs of the population and upholds the promise of universal health coverage. During the meeting, Director Planning Health presented a detailed action plan for achieving the objectives of Vision 2030.