J&K’s urban, rural hospitals face shortage of doctors, nurses: Health ministry

Srinagar, Dec 11: Many rural and urban hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir face shortage of doctors and nursing staff as revealed by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, the Minister shared that J&K has a sanctioned strength of 1,677 posts for doctors and medical officers. “Of these, 1,030 positions are currently filled, while 647 remain vacant in Primary Health Centres (PHCs) located in rural areas,” it said.
Similarly, as per the detailed reply, out of the 168 sanctioned posts of doctors and medical officers, 133 are in position and 35 are vacant in the urban areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
The minister has informed that out of the sanctioned strength of 735 posts of staff nurses, 558 are in position and 177 are vacant at PHCs in the rural areas.
Similarly, in the urban PHCs in J&K, there is a sanctioned strength of 126 posts of nursing staff of which 101 are in position and 25 are vacant.
The minister has said that the public health and hospitals is state subject and all the administrative and personnel matters related to human resource for health lie with the respective State/UT Governments.
However, the Government of India has also taken various steps to support the increase in the number of doctors and nursing staff available in the country.
It said under NHM, the ministry provides financial and technical support to States/UTs to strengthen their healthcare systems by filling gaps in human resources in health facilities as per Indian Public Health Standards, based on the requirements posed by them in their Programme Implementation Plans within their overall resource envelope.
“As per Management Information System (MIS) Report, March, 2024, approximately 3.85 lakh additional human resources have been engaged by states with NHM funding support and deployed at various levels,” the minister’s written reply said.
Notably, the ministry has stated that under NHM various types of incentives and honorarium are provided to doctors to encourage them to practice in rural, remote areas.
“Hard area allowances are given to specialist doctors to serve in rural and remote areas and for their residential quarters so that they find it attractive to serve in public health facilities in such areas,” the minister said.
Honorarium to gynaecologists, emergency obstetric care (EmoC) trained, paediatricians and anaesthetist, life-saving anaesthesia skills to doctors is also provided to increase availability of specialists for conducting caesarean sections in rural and remote areas.
The reply said non-monetary incentives such as preferential admission in post graduate courses for staff serving in difficult areas and improving accommodation arrangement in rural areas have also been introduced under NHM.
The health minister said multi-skilling of doctors is supported under NHM to overcome the shortage of specialists and skill upgradation of existing Human Resource is another major strategy under NHM for improvement in health outcomes.
In the reply, the minister said there is an increase of 102 percent in Medical Colleges in the country from 387 in 2014 to 780 as of now. There is also an increase of 130 percent in MBBS seats from 51,348 in 2014 to 1,18,137 as of now and an increase of 135 percent in PG seats from 31,185 in 2014 to 73,157 as of now.
It also mentions that steps taken by the Government to increase the doctors/medical professionals in the country are Centrally Sponsored Scheme for establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading district/ referral hospitals under which 157 medical colleges have been approved.
“Centrally Sponsored Scheme for strengthening/upgradation of existing State Government/Central Government Medical Colleges to increase MBBS and PG seats. Under “Upgradation of Government Medical Colleges by construction of Super Specialty Blocks” of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme, a total of 75 projects have been approved,” the minister said.