Jammu: Acknowledging an acute shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in rural and remote areas, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday said it has initiated the process to fill over 2,400 vacancies in the health department.
In a written reply to a question by Congress leader G A Mir in the assembly, the government, as per news agency Kashmir News Service, said 480 posts of Medical Officers have been referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission.
It said 292 vacancies in the non-gazetted category from various directorates have been referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB), which has advertised these posts.
The reply said 290 more vacancies from the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu, have been sent to the JKSSB, and another 608 posts are being processed for referral.
For Kashmir division, 802 posts are under examination for referral to the selection board, it said.
The government said contractual recruitment of doctors and paramedical staff is already being undertaken under the National Health Mission to bridge immediate gaps, especially in far-flung and under-served areas.
On the demand for fast-track or local-level contractual hiring, the government said recruitment at constituency or district level outside the NHM framework is “not feasible”, as appointments must be made in accordance with prescribed rules, and any parallel arrangement may lead to “administrative and legal complications”.
