The Gauri Kaul Foundation, a cardiac healthcare initiative penetrating the peripheries in Kashmir, marked its fifth foundation year today. In a relatively short span of time, the Foundation has established two well-equipped Cardiac Centres in Kashmir and delivered meaningful interventions to hundreds of lives in the remotest corners of Kashmir. Its contribution to valuable healthcare data resources, strengthening the foundation for future outreach and research, has also been remarkable.
Reflecting on the journey, the Founder, renowned and respected cardiologist, Prof U Kaul, said he firmly believed that geography must not be a barrier to access to healthcare facilities. “A person’s life expectancy in Kashmir should not be decided by which part of Kashmir he is living in,” he said.
He recalled the time when, during a visit to Kupwara on, he laid the basis of GK Foundation in 2020. The first steps, he said, were getting telemedicine up and running in the border area of the district, Machil. Over these years, the Foundation has screened over 25000 patients, established the Gauri Heart Centre in Srinagar and Prasad Joo Heart Centre in Hawl, at the cusp of Shopian and Pulwama districts.
In 2025, “Clinic on Wheels”, a fully-equipped ambulance providing non-invasive heart evaluation, including a portable echo, was put on the roads. The Clinic on Wheels, an ONGC initiative, makes it possible for patients to be evaluated in their villages, in the difficult-to-access areas of Kashmir.
M Asad Pathan, former Chairman of ONGC and Co-Founder of GK Foundation, said involvement of corporations in the journey of the initiatives they fund as corporate responsibility ensures better success. He recalled the quote of JF Kennedy, “Don’t ask what the nation has given you, but rather what you give to the nation”, while underlining the responsibility of every individual towards building a better nation.
Dr Abid Hussain, Director of Gauri Heart Centre and an experienced cardiologist, said their work in the communities was yielding some “fascinating scientific revelations”. “We have not seen any Rheumatic Heart Disease in the patients we screened,” he said, while detailing how schools have been involved in medical research to provide insights into the changing disease profile in Kashmir, in addition to other data. “Every screening is a second chance at life,” he said.
The event, held at Radisson River Front, had legislators MY Tarigami, Waheed ur Rehman Parra and Mian Meher Ali as Guests.
Tarigami congratulated Prof. U. Kaul for his contribution. He said that the initiative was a sign of reverence for Prof. Kaul towards his motherland. He spoke against the commodification of healthcare and said affordable health facilities were a right of every citizen.
Parra said Prof Kaul’s name was a “healing one” in Kashmir’s homes. “He is not just filling the gap in healthcare but the gaps between communities,” he said.
Mian Meher Ali, who was attending on behalf of his father, Mian Altaf, Parliamentarian, said his father had written a personal note for the fifth year commemoration, which he read out. The note conveyed the appreciation for the work of the GK Foundation.
“In the hostile atmosphere of Kashmir, GK Foundation has brought a ray of hope,” he said. GK Foundation facilitated its supporters with plaques of recognition and honour.
The awardees were MA Pathan, Co-Founder GK Foundation; Fayaz Ahmed Kaloo, Editor-in-Chief Greater Kashmir, for its support to GK Foundation; Dr Abid Hussain, Director GK Foundation, for his contribution to School Project and Syed Ishtiaq, educationist, for his support to School Project.
Other dignitaries who were present at the event included Prof MS Khuroo, Prof Abdul Hamid Zargar, Khursheed Ganai, Priyadarshini Arambam, and Dr Muneer Tantri.
