290 consultant posts vacant in J&K hospitals: Govt

Jammu, Mar 19: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday said 290 consultant posts remain vacant across various hospitals in the Union Territory.
Responding to a question from MLA Arjun Singh Raju, Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo, said J&K has a sanctioned strength of 852 consultants, out of which 562 are in position, while 290 posts remain vacant as of March 1, 2025.
Itoo said the vacant posts are being filled based on a 60:40 recruitment ratio, with 60% of the posts being directly recruited through the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and 40% reserved for promotion.
The promotional quota is under review by the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), she said, adding that the direct recruitment quota will soon be referred to JKPSC after completing the required formalities.
The minister said J&K has a sanctioned strength of 42 senior consultants, of which 19 are in position, and 23 remain vacant. These are all promotional quota posts, currently under review by the DPC.
At District Hospital Ramban, there is a sanctioned strength of 22 consultants/specialists, but only 5 are in position, while 17 posts remain vacant.
The hospital, which was upgraded to a 50-bedded facility in 2014, has now expanded to 66 beds with 8-bedded Maternal ICU (added in May 2023) and 8-bedded Pediatric ICU (added in November 2024) under the Emergency COVID Response Package (ECRP-II) Scheme
The minister clarified that no new health facility upgrades or expansions are planned due to austerity measures imposed by the Finance Department under Government Order No. 10-F of 2025.
“The focus is on consolidating existing health facilities, as J&K already has around 4,200 health institutions at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. J&K ranks among the top UTs and states in health institution density,” she said.
Itoo said the Trauma Centre Ramban has been functional since July 30, 2010, constructed at a cost of Rs 75.04 lakh under the State Sector scheme for Capacity Building for Trauma Care Facilities on National Highways.
She said PHC Ukhral does not qualify for CHC upgradation under the IPHS 2022 guidelines, which require a minimum population of 80,000, whereas Ukhral has only 29,853 residents.
“Emergency Hospital Batote does not qualify for SDH status, as per IPHS 2022 norms, which state that districts with less than 5 lakh population and a functional District Hospital do not require a Sub-District Hospital. Ramban district has a population of 2,83,713,” she said.
However, the minister said, Batote Block is already facilitated with 1 CHC, 2 PHCs, 9 NTPHCs and 26 Sub-Centres.
These facilities, staffed with skilled personnel, are providing healthcare services to the area, the minister added. (KNO)