Hiring of doctors fast-tracked

Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 20

Amid manpower crisis in the health sector, the state government has decided to abolish the interview process for the appointment of doctors to fast-track their recruitment.

The decision to appoint medical officers and consultants on the basis of a written test only was taken during a review meeting of the Department of Health and Medical Education by Governor NN Vohra on August 13.

“The decision taken at the review meeting will be placed before the next meeting of the Governor-led State Administrative Council (SAC) for ratification,” a senior health official told The Tribune.

Vohra had expressed serious concern over the huge number of vacancies in the department, including medical officers, consultants and paramedical staff.

A total of 1,329 posts of doctors are vacant in various hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir. In 22 district hospitals, out of 877 sanctioned posts, 115 are vacant, while as at a primary health care, 1,214 posts are vacant, adversely affecting healthcare.

Out of 52 posts of senior consultants, only 29 are occupied, while 316 posts of consultants out of 915 are vacant.

Similarly, the GMC-Jammu and GCM-Srinagar, two premier government medical colleges of J&K, are facing a shortage of 489 faculty members, including 29 professors, 30 associate professors, 94 assistant professors and 190 lecturers. At the GMC, Srinagar, 325 posts of faculty members are vacant. Also, 146 posts of assistant surgeons and medical officers are vacant at both the hospitals.

In the two superspecialty hospitals of the state, 242 posts of faculty members are vacant.

The shortage of doctors has badly affected healthcare, resulting in delay in surgeries, unmanageable rush of patients in hospitals and increasing incidents of doctor-patient conflict.

In the Indian System of Medicine (ISM), the total sanctioned strength of doctors is 553, out of which 144 are vacant. The Health Department has referred 115 posts of medical officers for appointment to the ISM to the J&K Public Service Commission for recruitment.

The Governor has directed the J&KPublic Service Commission to expedite the recruitment of doctors.