Minister for Agriculture Production, Javed Ahmad Dar, informed the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on March 18 that approximately 550 Medical Officer (MO) positions are currently vacant in the region, with the selection process for 181 MOs underway. He made this statement while responding on behalf of the Minister for Health and Medical Education to a joint question raised by Dr. Sajad Shafi and Javed Hassan Beig.
The Minister shared that there are 57 health institutions operating in the Sheeri and Kreeri blocks of Baramulla district. In the Kreeri block, the sanctioned staff, including Medical Officers and paramedics, stands at 157, with 121 currently in position and 36 vacancies. In the Sheeri block, out of 330 sanctioned staff, 223 are in place, leaving 107 vacant positions. These positions include both regular staff and those under the NHM scheme.
The Minister said that the land acquisition in respect of CHC Chandoosa is under process and the matter has been taken up with the concerned revenue authorities for identification of state land.
He added that an amount of Rs. 8 lakh has been released for land compensation of NTPHC Laridora during the year 2021-2022 which has been kept at the disposal of District Development Commissioner, Baramulla. The said amount could not be paid to the landowner due to closure of the financial year and the funds were lapsed. However, construction of NTPHC on aforementioned land has been completed and presently NTPHC Laridora has been functioning from this newly constructed building since September 2024.
The Minister informed the House that the department is making sustained efforts to address the ongoing issue of vacancies of Medical Officers, which presently stands at approximately around 550 posts. He added that the selection process for 181 Medical Officer posts is still underway with JKPSC and once the selection is completed, they will be posted to health institutions experiencing severe staff shortages.
The Minister further informed the House that the department is also in the process of operating a waitlist for 91 selected Medical Officers, who will be deployed to under-served areas across Jammu and Kashmir to strengthen the healthcare delivery.
Regarding vacancies of MOs in Baramulla district, the Minister informed the House that, out of a sanctioned strength of 275 MOs, 219 are in position and 56 are vacant across different Medical Blocks of the district.
He also stated that, out of 365 recently appointed Medical Officers, 39 have been posted to district Baramulla to address the staff shortages and enhance healthcare services.
The Minister further informed that additional 11 staff members from NHM and 71 from Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), including doctors and paramedics, have been deployed in Baramulla which significantly improved the healthcare services, particularly in underserved areas of the district.
Legislators; Mubarak Gul and Mir Saifullah raised the supplementaries to the question. (KB)
