Srinagar, Nov 28: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Thursday appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir government to create consultant and senior consultant posts in the Health Department.
The doctors’ body has appreciated the recent appointment of over 250 doctors to the Health Department adding that there is still a significant shortage of specialist doctors in rural healthcare settings which is causing inconvenience to patients.
President DAK, Dr Mohd Yusuf Tak highlighted the uneven distribution and discrepancies in the number and distribution of consultant posts across Jammu and Kashmir.
General Secretary DAK, Dr. Owais H Dar said there is absence of senior consultant posts for specialties like anaesthesia, dermatology and psychiatry.
“There is only one senior consultant post for radiology, paediatrics and dentistry across the entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
To enhance health services in peripheral areas, he stressed the urgent need to upgrade district and sub-district hospitals by creating consultant, senior consultant posts across specialties.
Dr Masood Rashid, President, Society of Consultant Doctors (SCD) and Senior Executive Member of DAK expressed concern over the non-uniform distribution of consultant and senior consultant posts across the Union Territory.
He pointed out that while the radiology department has only nine consultant posts in Kashmir, Jammu has 19, and there is no senior consultant post in the valley. “Similarly, the Gynaecology Department has four Senior Consultant posts in Jammu division but none in Kashmir.”
It said that Medical Officers and Dental Surgeons with postgraduate qualifications should be re-categorized as specialist doctors with special incentives.
It said that rural healthcare services should be categorized similarly to other hill states such as Himachal Pradesh, with incentives for peripheral and remote postings based on distance from city and district headquarters. “This would encourage more doctors to serve in such areas and ensure the delivery of essential health services to underserved populations.”
The doctors’ body urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Minister of Health and Medical Education, Sakina Itoo, to urgently address this critical issue.
“The matter pertains not only to the welfare of healthcare professionals but also to the larger public health delivery system, which will directly impact the health and well-being of citizens across the J&K,” DAK said.
