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Patient care, academics under severe stress in J&K Mission-mode recruitment drive yet to be launched Mohinder Verma JAMMU, Nov 10: A full-blown manpower crisis has engulfed the entire network of Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with nearly 5000 sanctioned posts lying vacant across various categories. Due to this, these institutions are struggling to deliver even basic patient care and education but no comprehensive recruitment exercise has been launched on a mission mode to address the acute shortfall. As per the official data, every GMC in the Union Territory—from Jammu to Baramulla is functioning with nearly half of its sanctioned strength and the shortage encompasses faculty, residents, paramedics, nursing, technical and support staff leading to heavy workload on existing employees and adversely impacting patient care, teaching and clinical services. Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp There are 9 Government Medical Colleges in the Union Territory—GMC Jammu, GMC Kathua, GMC Doda, GMC Rajouri, GMC Udhampur, GMC Srinagar, GMC Anantnag, GMC Baramulla and GMC Handwara. The sanctioned strength of all the categories of the staff for these Medical Colleges is 10717, out of which 4886 posts are lying vacant. The premier institution of the Jammu region, Government Medical College Jammu, is operating with almost 50% vacancies. Against a sanctioned strength of 908 posts of Faculty/Senior Residents/ Tutors, only 573 are in position, leaving 335 posts vacant. The situation is even worse among the paramedical staff, where only 1560 employees are available against a sanctioned strength of 2,986, resulting in 1426 vacancies. The recently established GMC Kathua too is struggling with manpower shortage. Out of 283 sanctioned gazetted posts, 201 are filled while 82 are vacant. Among non-gazetted staff, only 282 are in position against a sanctioned strength of 549, leaving 267 vacancies. The faculty and staff crunch has directly affected the teaching schedule and patient services. In the hilly district of Doda, the GMC is facing a similar grim scenario. Of 283 gazetted posts, only 159 are in position and 124 are lying vacant. Likewise, 128 non-gazetted posts, 49 MTS, 28 nursing and 12 technical posts remain vacant. The overall shortfall of 341 posts has severely hampered smooth functioning, especially in specialized and diagnostic services where technical manpower is critical. The GMC in Rajouri, which caters to a large population from far-flung Pir Panjal areas, is functioning with serious staff deficiency. Out of 270 sanctioned gazetted posts, only 141 are filled, leaving 129 vacant. Among 244 non-gazetted posts, 182 are occupied while 62 remain vacant. The shortage has crippled the institution’s ability to provide timely and quality healthcare. Perhaps the most alarming situation exists in GMC Udhampur, where vacancies have reached a critical level. Against 299 sanctioned gazetted posts, only 153 are in position. Even worse, only 39 non-gazetted employees are available against 467 sanctioned posts, leaving a whopping 428 vacancies. The college has zero MTS staff and among 163 sanctioned nursing positions, just 29 are filled. Similarly, only 12 technical employees are working against a sanctioned strength of 209. This situation has rendered the institution practically dependent on ad-hoc and contractual arrangements, undermining both education and patient care. The oldest Medical College in Kashmir—GMC Srinagar too has been hit by persistent staff shortages. Against 317 gazetted posts, only 137 are in position. Among 226 non-gazetted posts, 144 are filled while 82 remain vacant. Additionally, 102 of 160 supporting service posts and 209 of 957 paramedical posts are vacant. The result is overstressed doctors and nurses struggling to maintain patient care and academic standards. In GMC Anantnag, though all 136 gazetted posts have been filled, vacancies persist among nursing and paramedical categories. Out of 178 nurses, only 93 are in position, and among 196 sanctioned posts of paramedical employees, just 89 are working. At GMC Baramulla, 272 posts in the main college and 59 in the associated hospital have been sanctioned. Against these, only 81 permanent and 14 contractual staff are available in the GMC and 86 in Associated Hospital thereby leading 64 and 33 posts respectively vacant. Similarly, among 170 non-gazetted posts, only 86 are filled. At GMC Handwara, 60 gazetted posts, 69 posts of non-gazetted staff, 103 nursing staff and 124 other staff are lying vacant. Across all nine GMCs of Jammu and Kashmir, the total number of vacancies runs into several thousands, painting a grim picture of neglect. “Such a deficit in faculty and staff not only violates norms prescribed by the National Medical Commission but also directly compromises medical education standards and healthcare quality”, official sources said. “Despite being fully aware of the alarming situation, the H&ME Department has failed to initiate a mission-mode recruitment drive or even a rational manpower audit. Many of these institutions are functioning through contractual or deputed staff, which is neither sustainable nor conducive to academic excellence”, they added. They stressed, “unless the Government takes immediate corrective measures, the functioning of these GMCs, which form the backbone of tertiary healthcare in Jammu and Kashmir, will continue to deteriorate, pushing both patients and students into deeper distress”.
