The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — In a significant leap forward in the fight against gastrointestinal cancers, the Department of Minimal Access and General Surgery at Government Medical College Srinagar spearheaded the inaugural Luminal Malignancy Day on Thursday.

Collaborating with the Department of Radiation and Medical Oncology, this milestone event underscored the institution's commitment to advancing treatment options and raising awareness for luminal malignancies.

Led by the esteemed Professor Iqbal Saleem Mir, Head of the Department of Surgery, the day showcased a series of groundbreaking surgeries utilizing cutting-edge laparoscopic techniques. These procedures, targeting various gastrointestinal malignancies, highlighted the faculty's expertise and dedication to providing minimally invasive yet highly effective treatment options.

The Luminal Malignancy Day served as a nexus for interdisciplinary collaboration, uniting experts from surgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology, and the Department of Anaesthesia. This collaborative effort ensures patients receive comprehensive care tailored to their individual needs, from diagnosis to treatment and beyond.

Attendees witnessed live demonstrations of laparoscopic procedures, offering firsthand insight into the precision and innovation driving modern surgical techniques. Professor Iqbal Saleem Mir expressed gratitude to all faculty members, staff, and participants whose collective efforts propelled the Luminal Malignancy Day to resounding success.

Principal of Government Medical College Srinagar, Professor Iffat Hassan Shah, hailed the initiative as a significant milestone in addressing the challenges posed by gastrointestinal cancers. She emphasized the importance of collaboration across specialities in providing comprehensive and state-of-the-art care to patients.

Government Medical College Srinagar reaffirmed its commitment to leading the charge against cancer, aiming to enhance outcomes and quality of life for those affected by luminal malignancies. With an unwavering dedication to medical innovation, the institution stands as a beacon of hope for individuals and families confronting cancer.

This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — Not a single medical college among five sanctioned by the government in the last six years has been completed in Jammu and Kashmir so far, news agency KNO reported on Saturday.

One Government Medical College each for Kathua, Rajouri, Doda, Anantnag and Baramulla was sanctioned some years ago with a budget of Rs 189 crore for raising the infrastructure of each college. Of the Rs 189 crore, an amount of Rs 139 crore was assigned for civil works and Rs 50 crore for machinery and equipment.

As per documents available, work of GMC Anantnag project is executed by JKPCC with physical progress of 86 per cent and time has overrun by 27 months and similarly, in GMC Baramulla, physical progress is around 81 per cent and time overrun is 27 months and the revised date for completion of both projects is August 15, 2022.

For GMC Doda, physical progress is 90 per cent, 93 per cent in GMC Kathua and 95 per cent in GMC Rajouri while time has overrun by 16 months, 14 months and 26 months respectively. This year's August is the revised time of completion for these projects.

Officials said that though the revised deadlines are nearing, yet infrastructure of none of these five medical colleges has been completed in all respects. They said that many important components were missing in DPRs and while making provision for several mechanical components, no attention to the topography of Doda and Rajouri was paid.

"Besides, COVID-19 pandemic is the basic thing which lead to the delay in these very vital projects," they said.

They said that despite the release of requisite funds to the executing agencies, time overrun has been reported in all these projects. Besides, these projects have seen cost escalation and demand for additional funds has been projected before the Government so as to complete the work.

They added that in GMC Anantnag against the approved ceiling of Rs 30 crore, the executive agency is demanding Rs 38 crore, the executive agency at GMC Doda demands additional Rs 20 crore, the executive agency at GMC Kathua demands additional Rs 25 crore for completion of the whole building and same is the case with the other projects.

This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse