New GMC in J&K continue to face staff crunch, patients suffer

Srinagar, May 01: The newly established medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir continue to grapple with a severe manpower crunch, with key departments among the worst hit which is affecting patient care and overall healthcare delivery in the region.
Officials said the medical colleges that have been affected due to the lack of manpower include GMC Baramulla, GMC Handwara, GMC Anantnag, GMC Doda and Rajouri.
GMC Baramulla, the lone tertiary care center in North Kashmir, is facing staff shortage in vital areas despite the increased load of patients from different areas.
“The medical college has no nephrologist, no cardiologist, no neurologist, and there is shortage of orthopedicians, endocrinologists which has affected patients coming from different areas and compelling them to visit Srinagar hospitals,” said an official.
He said despite the superannuation of employees many posts are vacant positions, as the Health and Medical Education Department has yet to provide replacements.
People said the shortage of staff, especially of cardiologists, has created a void, forcing cardiac patients to seek treatment in Srinagar or other distant locations.
“As a result, patients are now struggling for timely diagnosis and treatment, putting many severe heart patients at risk of fatalities,” said Abid Ahmad, a local resident.
He said absence of cardiac care in such a crucial institution raises concerns about emergency response times, particularly for patients suffering from heart attacks.
Similarly, doctors at GMC Anantnag said the medical college also needs more cardiologists as patient load has increased since the start of cath lab and existing staff strength of cardiologists is overburdened and can’t deal with huge patient flow.
The newly established GMC Handwara is also grappling with a severe manpower shortage, particularly in key departments like Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry. It has adversely affected patient care, leaving hospitals struggling to provide quality treatment.
Official said in GMC Doda, there is a sanctioned strength of 23 professors of which only few are in place in Pharmacology, Dentistry, Biochemistry, while the rest remain vacant.
Similarly, out of the sanctioned 32 associate professors, only 11 are currently in position. For assistant professors, there is a sanctioned strength of 49, but only 30 are in place, leaving the remaining positions vacant.
Likewise, there are 78 sanctioned senior resident positions, but only 44 are filled, with the rest remaining unoccupied in the Doda Medical College.
Officials said in GMC Rajouri, there are 32 sanctioned posts for Associate Professors, with 18 currently in position. The reply said for the post of Lecturer (Blood Bank) in GMC Rajouri, one position is sanctioned and currently filled.
Further in GMC Rajouri, there are 267 sanctioned Gazetted posts, of which 128 are filled and 139 are vacant, while for Non-Gazetted/Multitasking Staff (MTS) posts, the sanctioned strength is 532, with 293 in position and 239 vacant.
According to officials, departments such as General Surgery, Medicine, Paediatric Surgery, Orthopaedics, and other high-demand units require additional staff to manage the heavy patient load effectively.
In March 2019, some existing medical colleges in J&K lost faculty positions due to lateral entry after the government absorbed faculty members in newly established GMCs.
Doctors said the crisis is attributed to several factors, including delayed recruitment, the reluctance of specialists to serve in remote areas, and the migration of trained professionals to private hospitals or other states offering better pay and working conditions.
Recently, the Health and Medical Education Department informed J&K Government that all entry-level faculty posts of GMC Baramulla have been referred to the J & K Public Service Commission for advertisement and for selection of suitable candidates.
A senior official of the health department said the requisite manpower requirements of GMCs have been sent to PSC for doctors and to the J&KSSRB for paramedical staff. “It will take time for the medical colleges to get the required manpower to run healthcare services and medical education properly,” he said.
Officials acknowledge the challenges faced by existing staff due to workload and assured that steps are being taken to expedite the recruitment process to address the shortage.