Srinagar, Sep 24: A total of 2,891 posts of Medical Officers and 9,723 posts of paramedics/nurses are vacant across hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir, the government told the Legislative Assembly on Thursday in a written reply.
The data was provided by the In-Charge Minister, Health & Medical Education Department, in response to a starred question tabled by MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi on vacant posts of medicos and paramedics in health institutions across the Union Territory.
The vacancies include 150 Medical Officers and 1,216 paramedical staff at SKIMS; 967 Medical Officers and 1,580 paramedics under DHS Kashmir; 462 Medical Officers and 2,744 paramedics under DHS Jammu; and 55 Medical Officers and 115 paramedics under the Directorate of Ayush.
Among the Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), the vacancies include: GMC Jammu (150 Medical Officers, 1,216 paramedics), GMC Udhampur (66 Medical Officers, 1,216 paramedics), GMC Rajouri (32 Medical Officers, 30 paramedics), GMC Kathua (118 Medical Officers, 266 paramedics), GMC Doda (114 Medical Officers, 64 paramedics), GMC Srinagar (474 Medical Officers, 531 paramedics), GMC Anantnag (107 Medical Officers, 107 paramedics), GMC Baramulla (62 Medical Officers, 260 paramedics) and GMC Handwara (134 Medical Officers, 378 paramedics).
The reply added that pending regular appointments, the Department continues to manage staffing gaps through interim arrangements, including engagement of personnel under the National Health Mission (NHM) and academic arrangement basis, wherever feasible.
The House was informed that recently 416 Medical Officers selected through JKPSC have been received by the department, against which appointment orders for 335 have been issued, while 1,587 paramedical/non-gazetted posts have been referred to JKSSB for making selection of suitable candidates.
In response to another question regarding the present status of the 125-bedded District Hospital and 100-bedded Critical Care Unit at Reshipora, Budgam, the reply said the work is presently in progress and approximately 70 per cent physical progress has been achieved so far.
It added that the project is expected to be completed by the end of the financial year 2027-28, subject to the availability of requisite funds and timely completion of the balance works.
“An amount of Rs 3,217.53 lakh has been released to date, against which an expenditure of Rs 2,336.56 lakh has been incurred. Out of the total funds released, Rs 1,106.56 lakh has been released during the current financial year, against which Rs 225 lakh has been utilised,” the reply said.
It said the work on the 100-bedded Critical Care Unit at Reshipora, Budgam, is in progress, with the ground and first floors of AAC block 95 per cent complete and the second floor 70 per cent complete.
“Plastering is 82 per cent complete on the ground floor and 90 per cent on the first floor, while tiling, plumbing, fire-fighting, wall-chasing and reinforcement work for third-floor columns are underway,” the reply said.
