It is my moral responsibility to clarify the real facts which have been unfortunately published in mutilated way on front page of a local daily. I started Department of Surgical Oncology in July 2011 as lone faculty member with 4 beds and two theater sessions in a week. At that time I apprised Govt through various representations regarding limited logistics and manpower to fight cancer at this lone tertiary care center.
As a matter of strenuous efforts Director SKIMS ( Prof Showkat Ali Zargar) turned to massive reforms. As whole civil society is aware that turmoil in Kashmir never allowed proper growth of SKIMS and it was Prof Zargar’s great efforts to take it out of rot.
Surgical Oncology has now evolved as full-fledged department and is functioning with four highly qualified trained cancer surgeons, 15 dedicated beds, facilities to operate cancer patients every day in routine operation theaters and emergency theaters.Till date me and my team has operated more than five hundred complex cancer resections who previously used to go to outside state for such treatment. Director SKIMS even made special efforts to start working of Surgical Oncology team in collaboration with health services to cater heavy rush of such patients at district general hospital level. And I feel proud to say that through this project we have operated a very good number of cases at district general hospitals.
I want to put it on record that in 2011 when I was working hard for the establishment of this department , I really wanted this so called great newspaper of Kashmir to raise this issue in front of Govt but to my surprise they turned a deaf ear and then things became crystal clear to me and I realized that they only act on vested interests. Can editor of the said daily explain why he is publishing it and misleading people after 2 years and that too when this department is fully functional. I am sure he knows the answer .
It seems that a mafia of private practitioners has started money mongered malicious propaganda campaign at a time when the Director is charging them on work. The motto of the campaign is to remove the reform management and to drift the reforms. The press needs to evaluate the institution through proper journalists in light of its developments .
Altaf Gauhar Haji
(Consultant and Head Dept of Surgical Oncology,SKIMS)
Cell Number: India:0091-9596426052; England:0044-7738687886
[email protected]