Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Jan 27: Amid the ongoing health crisis in the Badhal area of Rajouri district, the Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri is grappling with a severe staff shortage, with around 60 per cent of sanctioned posts currently vacant.
Official sources said that nearly 62 per cent of the sanctioned positions at GMC Rajouri remain unfilled, which affects the institution’s functioning.
“Out of 23 sanctioned posts for professors, only one professor is currently available,” an official said, adding that the hospital is also facing acute shortages of doctors and paramedics, leaving key departments understaffed and overburdened.
The hospital lacks critical diagnostic and treatment facilities, including an MRI machine and a Cath Lab, forcing patients from Rajouri and neighbouring Poonch district to travel to Jammu for advanced medical care.
Residents of Rajouri and Poonch have expressed concern over the inadequate healthcare facilities and have urged the government to address the shortages in staff and infrastructure at GMC Rajouri.
MLA Budhal, Javed Iqbal Choudhary said the hospital is in a dire state. “The hospital is severely short-staffed and is functioning without many essential diagnostic facilities,” he said.
Principal GMC Rajouri has formally requested the Health and Medical Education Department to establish an MRI facility at the hospital.
In a letter to the Health Secretary, a copy of which has been accessed by KNO, the Principal stated: “In continuation of Office No. GMCR/2022-23/9754-59 dated 21.11.2022 and in reference to the request submitted by the In-charge Head of the Department, Radio Diagnosis & Imaging, GMC Rajouri, it is forwarded with a request to kindly direct the concerned authorities for the establishment of an MRI facility at the Associated Hospital of GMC Rajouri.”
In light of the mysterious illness that claimed 17 lives in Badhal village, authorities recently deployed 10 paediatricians and anesthesiologists to GMC Rajouri. All leaves for doctors and paramedics have been cancelled under a medical alert issued by the administration.
The residents of Rajouri have appealed to the government to prioritise the hospital’s needs. They said the absence of proper medical facilities in this frontier district is causing undue suffering. Local treatment options should be improved to minimise patient reliance on distant healthcare facilities, they added.
