Exclusive | Interview of Director SKIMS, Dr A G Ahangar

SRINAGAR — In an exclusive interview with The Kashmir Pulse about a wide range of issues and also the COVID-19 situation, Director SKIMS & Ex-Officio Secretary to Government, Dr A G Ahangar said that the bed capacity of the institute has been almost doubled during his tenure.

He stated that SKIMS Soura has world-class health facilities and includes positron emission tomography (PET) scan, computed tomography (CT) scan, organ transplant, neuro scan, and trauma centre.

“We have sent a proposal to government for certain projects which are under active consideration. For short-run (2025) and long-term (2030), there are various projects in the pipeline, which will further enhance the services for the patients here,” he informed.

Dr Ahangar said that Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences is not merely a healthcare facility but also a deemed medical university. “Teaching, training and research activities are a priority while simultaneous patient care is available at a tertiary level,” he said.

What else he said in the exclusive chat with Sakeena Jabeen? Read the excerpts of the interview captured by Umar Farooq to know.

SJ: SKIMS is the largest medical institute in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under the grip of deadly COVID-19 virus. As Director of the institute, what are special measures you have taken for COVID-19 patients?

Dr. Ahangar: My entire team is on toes 24×7 from day one, to test people and detect the level of Covid infection and other diseases. The team consists senior professors, junior and senior resident doctors, nurses, and paramedics. Its job includes monitoring of everything, from delivery of important medical supplies, steroids and oxygen concentrators to ensure their usage as per the given guidelines. Even advisory committees, framed from day one, are tasked to review the situation on a weekly basis.

SJ: People have high hopes with this institute but unfortunately out-patient departments (OPDs) remain shut due to COVID-19. When will these services resume?

Dr. Ahangar: Like the previous year, we had to halt the OPDs because the wave was much uglier. But at the same time, we have a dedicated number of virtual clinics, teleclinics for mitigating the sufferings of people. Even, we have kept some provisions of OPDs available for patients physically, as we have seen dip in the cases. There will be ease of restrictions too with the further dip in new cases.

SJ: Government kick-started vaccination drive on May 1. However, many people are reluctant to take the jab. How can they be schooled about it?

Dr. Ahangar: They were pandemics in the past too like Ebola, Smallpox. Until people got vaccinated, these claimed millions of lives. Same vaccination is the need of the hour. If we have to remain alive, we have to get vaccinated. This is the only solution fight novel Coronavirus. It’s up to us. We have to choose between a vaccine and a ventilator.

SJ: As the Director of SKIMS, what are your future plans for the institute?

Dr. Ahangar: SKIMS is not only healthcare institute, it’s a deemed medical university besides having level-3 tertiary care centres for any illness. When it was established almost 38 years ago, it had only 250 beds. But in my four-and-a-half years tenure, I enhanced its bed capacity from 650 beds in 2016 to 1250 beds today, meaning twice the number of beds without anybody realizing it. My dream for this institution is to get on to as many other sub-specialities as well as super-specialities so that we are second to none in the world. In that direction, we have our PET scan, CT scan, MRIs with and many other projects like Organ Transplant Centre, dream project of new Neuro Sciences and Cardiac Sciences Centres, new emergency block and emergency OPD services including Trauma Centre. Even we have sent a proposal to government for certain projects which have been discussed too. Within a span of next 10 years, we will enhance the services manifold.

Advice for People: Virus doesn’t discriminate between young and old, religion or region. It affects anyone. It created havoc in developed countries like UK, United States and Italy too which means it devastates life anywhere. If we want to eradicate it, we have to go for vaccination. People have to choose between a vaccine or a ventilator.