JAMMU, Jun 11: Renowned human rights activist Om Parkash Khajuria today stressed that human resource development remains the most important foundation for the progress and prosperity of any society, asserting that no nation or region can achieve sustainable development unless it ensures quality education and accessible healthcare for its citizens.
Addressing media persons, Khajuria said that the true strength of a nation lies not in its physical infrastructure alone but in the education, health, skills, and productivity of its people. He observed that government schools and government hospitals serve as the backbone of human resource development and therefore deserve urgent attention from policymakers and administrators.
“Without investing in people, no amount of development can yield meaningful results. Quality education in government schools and affordable healthcare in government hospitals are the two most important pillars upon which the future of Jammu and Kashmir rests,” Khajuria said.
Expressing concern over the present state of public healthcare institutions, he stated that several government hospitals across Jammu and Kashmir are struggling with inadequate infrastructure, shortage of manpower, and dysfunctional medical equipment. He pointed out that vital diagnostic facilities such as X-ray machines, CT Scan units, dialysis machines, ultrasound equipment and other essential medical devices remain non-functional in various hospitals, severely affecting patient care and delaying timely diagnosis and treatment.
Khajuria further highlighted the acute shortage of specialist doctors, trained technicians, nursing staff and other healthcare professionals in several government health institutions. He said that the lack of expert doctors in various medical streams is forcing patients to seek treatment in costly private hospitals, placing a tremendous financial burden on middle-class and economically weaker families.
“The middle class is bearing the maximum brunt of this crisis. Families are compelled to spend their life savings, borrow money, or divert funds earmarked for their children’s education, housing, and other essential needs towards expensive medical treatment. A single medical emergency often pushes a family into long-term financial distress,” he remarked.
Drawing a direct connection between healthcare and human resource development, Khajuria said that a healthy population is essential for economic productivity, social stability and overall development. Poor healthcare services not only affect individual families but also weaken the workforce and hamper the region’s growth potential.
He also emphasized the need to strengthen government schools by ensuring quality teaching standards, modern infrastructure, adequate staffing, digital learning facilities and a conducive academic environment. According to him, every child, irrespective of economic background, must have access to quality education in government institutions so that talent is nurtured and opportunities are expanded across society.
Khajuria urged the Jammu and Kashmir administration to undertake a comprehensive review of both the education and healthcare sectors and ensure that government institutions are adequately equipped with modern facilities, qualified manpower and sufficient financial resources.
He called for immediate steps to repair and operationalize all dysfunctional medical equipment in government hospitals, fill vacant posts of specialist doctors and healthcare workers, improve diagnostic services, and strengthen healthcare institutions at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
“Investment in education and healthcare is not expenditure; it is an investment in human capital. A society that neglects its schools and hospitals ultimately compromises its own future,” he said.
Khajuria appealed to the Lieutenant Governor-led administration to accord the highest priority to human resource development by strengthening public education and healthcare systems across Jammu and Kashmir. He maintained that empowering people through quality education and ensuring access to affordable and effective healthcare would create a stronger, healthier and more prosperous society.
Concluding, he said that the real measure of development lies in the well-being of citizens and that a robust network of government schools and hospitals is indispensable for building a productive workforce, reducing social inequalities and securing a brighter future for coming generations.