SRINAGAR, September 23, 2026 – In a significant move aimed at expanding healthcare access and strengthening institutional financial services across Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah presided over the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Jammu & Kashmir Bank Ltd and the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) on Tuesday. The high-profile event, attended by key dignitaries including Minister for Health & Medical Education Sakeena Itoo and Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, formalized a comprehensive partnership between the Union Territory’s premier tertiary-care institution and its leading financial establishment. The landmark agreement was signed by SKIMS Director Prof. Mohammad Ashraf Ganie and J&K Bank MD & CEO Amitava Chatterjee, reflecting a shared commitment to enhancing patient services, supporting critical healthcare infrastructure, and driving broad-based financial inclusion for medical personnel.
A defining feature of the newly inked MoU is the integration of SKIMS’ Outpatient Department (OPD) ticketing and appointment booking system with the Banking Correspondent (BC) network of J&K Bank on a six-month pilot basis. This innovative digital initiative is specifically designed to enable patients residing in far-flung and rural areas to effortlessly obtain SKIMS OPD tickets and secure medical appointments locally, substantially reducing the logistical and financial burden of traveling to Srinagar solely for administrative purposes. In reciprocal terms, SKIMS has officially nominated J&K Bank as its preferred banking partner, extending an array of customized financial benefits to its regular employees. Under this progressive arrangement, medical and administrative staff will gain access to zero-balance salary accounts, significant waivers on specified banking charges, concessional loan rates, and auto-sweep facilities. Further integrating their operational capacities, the MoU mandates the establishment of dedicated service counters at SKIMS for J&K Bank employees, while SKIMS has committed to deputing a qualified physician to the Bank’s headquarters once a month to facilitate routine medical consultations for its corporate staff.
Expanding the scope of the collaboration beyond institutional banking, J&K Bank has pledged to prioritize critical Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) assistance to bolster the core SKIMS hospital infrastructure. The comprehensive agreement also outlines the digital integration of the SKIMS Endowment Fund, a vital resource meant for underprivileged patients, with the bank’s Mpay Delight+ mobile application. This technological alignment enables the general public to make direct, secure, and transparent financial contributions towards critical patient care. Emphasizing continuous financial literacy, J&K Bank will conduct fully funded digital financial literacy camps and organize quarterly wealth management sessions tailored specifically for SKIMS personnel. In a parallel development emphasizing the banking institution’s expanding institutional outreach, Jammu & Kashmir Bank also signed a separate MoU with Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU). Signed in the presence of BGSBU Registrar Ravi Kumar Sihag and J&K Bank DGM Rajeev Kumar Dingra, this supplementary agreement aims to facilitate highly efficient, technology-enabled banking services and establish a structured framework for enhanced service delivery across the university campus, ultimately benefiting faculty members, administrative staff, and the wider student community.
Published by True Roots Media Network