Suhail Khan
Jammu, Feb 03: The healthcare system in Jammu and Kashmir is facing a severe human resource crisis, with thousands of sanctioned posts for doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff lying vacant across key medical institutions, as revealed by official data tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
The information, provided in response to a starred question by MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi, exposes critical staffing gaps that threaten to undermine medical services in the Union Territory.
According to data accessed by Kashmir Convener, the Government Medical College (GMC) in Doda is operating with 251 vacant posts out of a sanctioned strength of 715. The shortages include 122 gazetted and 129 non-gazetted positions, with critical gaps in nursing and technical staff.
The situation appears even more acute in dental care. The Government Dental College in Jammu has 57 vacancies across senior medical and paramedical categories, while the Government Dental College in Srinagar has 48 unfilled posts.
While the government reported some recruitment since March 2023—including appointments through the JKPSC and “academic arrangements”—these measures appear insufficient to address the scale of the vacancies. Notably, the government’s reply indicated that comprehensive data on total vacancies across J&K’s health institutions “does not pertain to this office,” suggesting the overall shortfall may be significantly larger.
These revelations come amid the administration’s emphasis on upgrading health infrastructure in the region, raising questions about how new facilities will be staffed adequately to provide quality healthcare services to residents.
Meanwhile, Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, remarked that strengthening existing medical infrastructure is a top priority of the government, and the creation of any additional Medical Blocks will be considered subject to requirement, feasibility, and the availability of manpower and infrastructure.
The Health Minister made these comments while replying to a question from Legislator Sheikh Ahsan Ahmad regarding Medical Blocks during the ongoing Budget Session of the J&K Legislative Assembly.
The Minister informed the House that District Srinagar, with a population of over 15 lakh, currently has one Medical Block and four Medical Zones. These four Medical Zones function directly under the administrative control of the Chief Medical Officer, Srinagar. She added that the administrative, supervisory, and field-level implementation of health programs in District Srinagar is being carried out smoothly and satisfactorily with existing manpower and infrastructure, with no major impediments reported in the delivery of healthcare services under the present administrative setup.
The Health Minister also informed the House that District Srinagar is administratively covered by four Medical Zones and one Medical Block, collectively catering to the eight Assembly Constituencies of the district.
She added that the existing healthcare delivery mechanism in the district is being adequately supported by the presence of premier tertiary and secondary healthcare institutions, such as Government Medical College Srinagar, Gousia Hospital, SKIMS Soura, SMHS Hospital, JLNM Hospital, and SKIMS Bemina. These institutions significantly enhance patient care services and help manage patient and service loads across the district.
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