<span style="color: #222222;">In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha addressed the 39th Annual Day celebrations of Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura in Srinagar today and e-inaugurated and laid e-foundation stones of several projects on the occasion.<br />'' <br />'' While addressing the gathering through virtual mode, the Lt Governor observed that SKIMS has played an indispensable role in the healthcare system of the Union Territory. He expressed gratitude to all the doctors, nurses, ward boys, ambulance drivers and all other supporting staff for selflessly working during the two waves of COVID and lauded the invaluable contribution of countless health workers in the fight against the pandemic.<br />'' <br />'' Underscoring the commitment of UT government to continuously strengthen the health system and to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to all especially in rural areas, the Lt Governor observed that J&K has the highest share of 5 per cent budget allocation in the health sector across the country. He said that the administration is spending 7,177 crore rupees to strengthen the infrastructure of the health sector in Jammu and Kashmir and informed that in the last one year, 94 health projects have been completed by spending 881 crore rupees, substantially augmenting resources for citizens.<br />'' <br />'' The Lieutenant Governor expressed his gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has transformed the health sector of Jammu and Kashmir. He said that J&K previously used to have only three medical colleges but now there are seven new medical colleges, almost doubling the 600 MBBS seats to 1100 seats. He also maintained that J&K is the first in the country to have two AIIMS, two Cancer Institutes. Besides the number of Health and wellness centres have increased to 1275 after the year 2019 from just 129 and 10 new nursing colleges for Jammu and Kashmir have been given by the Prime Minister.<br />'' <br />'' Mr Sinha said that J&K has a unique health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat-SEHAT, under which every family is covered for five lakh medical insurance, but before 2019 there was no government health insurance scheme in the Union Territory.<br />'' <br />''Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director AIIMS New Delhi, in his speech, highlighted the importance of the institute and said that in coming years it will be an institute of national repute. While delivering a presentation on 'Lessons learned from COVID-19', he said that social distancing and masks are still the best measures to contain the spread of pandemic.</span><br />