Srinagar, Mar 24: The Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department informed the Jammu and Kashmir government about the vacant faculty positions in the valley’s major tertiary care hospitals- SKIMS Soura and the associated hospitals of Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar.
The information was provided in the Legislative Assembly in response to a starred question raised by MLA M. Y. Tarigami on steps taken to provide the required staff.
The house was informed that SKIMS Soura, Srinagar has 293 sanctioned faculty positions, out of which 165 are filled and 128 are vacant under direct recruitment; 16 sanctioned Medical Officer positions, with 2 filled and 14 vacant; and 776 sanctioned paramedical staff positions, with 530 filled and 246 vacant.
GMC Srinagar and its associated hospitals have the following staffing details: SMHS Hospital Srinagar has 51 faculty members, 36 doctors, and 30 paramedical staff; B&J Hospital Srinagar has 7 faculty members, 1 doctor, and 10 paramedical staff; LD Hospital Srinagar has 15 faculty members, no doctors, and 6 paramedical staff; and Children Hospital Srinagar has 51 faculty members, 17 doctors, and 14 paramedical staff.
The house was further informed that out of 128 vacant faculty positions, 13 have been referred to JKPSC, while 115 are under consideration for revival/concurrence.
“14 Medical Officer posts have been referred to JKPSC. “Among 246 vacant paramedical staff positions, 21 have been sent to JKSSB, and 225 are under review for revival/concurrence,” the response said.
The department informed that to address staffing deficiencies, the H&ME is actively referring vacancies to JKPSC and JKSSB. Recently, 365 Medical Officers and 105 Assistant Professors were appointed. Additionally, to enhance healthcare availability, 96 Specialists, 418 Allopathic Medical Officers, and 874 Ayush Medical Officers are serving under the National Health Mission. Furthermore, 582 non-gazetted and paramedical posts have been referred to JKSSB for recruitment.
Responding to the acute shortage of doctors and para-medicos in District Hospital Kulgam, the house was informed that the DH Kulgam is fully operational and effectively serving the healthcare needs of the local population.
It was informed that the facility is staffed with a robust team of 48 doctors (including 15 from NHM side) and 147 paramedics (including 95 from NHM side), ensuring high-quality medical services
Regarding the establishment of the Assistant Drug Controller Office at Kulgam and the steps taken for setting up a Drug Testing Laboratory, it was stated that the identification of State Land for the Assistant Drug Controller Office at District Headquarters, including Kulgam, has been taken up with all the concerned Deputy CommissioneRs However, as of now, land has not been identified for District Kulgam.
Jammu & Kashmir has three NABL-accredited drug testing laboratories located in Jammu, Srinagar, and Kathua, catering to divisional and UT-level requirements.
The Jammu and Srinagar laboratories handle district-level samples and have recently been upgraded with modern equipment. Additionally, a state-of-the-art Modern Drug Testing Laboratory (MDTL) in Kathua, established under a 90:10 centrally sponsored scheme, enhances testing capacity and supports JKMSCL. Given this well-developed infrastructure, setting up drug testing laboratories at each district level is not considered feasible.
