Srinagar, Nov 5 : Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister Sakeena Itoo on Thursday said AIIMS Awantipora in south Kashmir is expected to offer 100 MBBS seats soon, marking a significant step towards strengthening medical education and healthcare services in the Union Territory.
Minister Itoo made the announcement after accompanying Union Health Minister J P Nadda during his visit to the institute in Pulwama district, where he reviewed its progress.
Speaking to news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) minister Sakina Itoo said Nadda had indicated that 100 MBBS seats would be made available soon, expressing hope that the institution would become fully functional at the earliest.
She said the operationalisation of AIIMS Awantipora would improve access to specialised healthcare and advanced medical facilities, particularly for patients from south Kashmir.
“The Union Health Minister has stressed that the institute should become functional as soon as possible. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has visited the institute several times over the past two years, and I have also reviewed its progress to ensure its early operationalisation,” she said.
The minister said the institute would play an important role in improving patient care and reducing the need for people to travel outside Jammu and Kashmir for specialised treatment.
During the visit, minister Itoo also sought Nadda’s intervention in facilitating the return of the mortal remains of Adnan Ahmed Rather, a final-year MBBS student from Sopore who died in Bangladesh.
She said she had handed over the student’s documents and contact details to the Union Health Minister and requested him to take up the matter with the concerned ministry.
“The family is extremely distressed, and his mother is in a state of shock. I have requested the Union Health Minister to ensure that his mortal remains are brought back at the earliest,” minister Itoo said.
She added that Nadda had assured her that he would speak to the concerned ministry and extend assistance in bringing the student’s body back to his family. (KNS)
