Jammu, Mar 30: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday ruled out any policy to re-engage local educated and technically skilled youth under the Hospital Development Fund (HDF) or any similar mechanism, stating that no such proposal was under consideration.
In a written reply to legislator Shabir Ahmad Kullay from Shopian, the Minister Incharge of Health and Medical Education Department informed the House that prior to the ban imposed vide Government Order No. 43-F of 2015 dated March 17, 2015, local youth were engaged on a minimal honorarium under the HDF to render essential technical and support services in various hospitals.
“The engagements were made purely on a temporary basis to ensure continuity of services where regular staff was not readily available and do not confer any right or claim for regular appointment,” the minister stated in the reply.
However, clarifying the status of such workers, the government said it was not a fact that these engagements had been discontinued.
“It is to state that the HDF workers are continuously serving in the health institutions of J&K. Accordingly, the department at present has no policy to make likewise further engagements under HDF/Local Fund or any other similar mechanism for effective functioning of hospitals,” the reply read.
Responding to another query regarding delegation of powers to Medical Superintendents for making adhoc engagements of Junior Resident Doctors and paramedical staff — on the pattern of Delhi and several other states — the government said no such proposal was under consideration at present.
The minister’s response comes amid concerns over the functioning of health institutions and the status of workers engaged under the now-discontinued adhoc engagement policy. The government, however, maintained that existing HDF workers continue to serve, while no fresh engagements are being planned.
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