New appointments, rationalisation of medical staff to boost healthcare in remote areas: Sakeena Itoo

Srinagar, Sep 21: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, Monday informed the Legislative Assembly that the government is taking sustained measures to strengthen the healthcare delivery in remote and difficult areas, including Karnah, through recruitment, rational deployment and augmentation of medical and paramedical manpower.
Replying to a question raised by MLA Javaid Ahmad Mirchal during Question Hour regarding deployment of staff and augmentation of healthcare facilities in his constituency, the Minister said that 480 Medical Officer (Allopathic) posts were referred to JKPSC, against which 416 candidates have been recommended and 335 have been appointed, so far. She said the newly appointed doctors would be appropriately deployed, with priority to the peripheral, underserved, remote and difficult-area health institutions including ALC areas.
The Minister informed the house that 73 NHM personnel are presently serving in Karnah Constituency while 466 non-gazetted posts under the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, have also been referred to the recruiting agency for selection. She said AYUSH doctors are posted at PHC Chiterkote while paramedical staff is available at PHC Chiterkote, PHC Teetwal, PHC Panzgam and PHC Nachiyan. She added that necessary internal arrangements are being made to ensure continuity of healthcare services in institutions where regular doctors are presently unavailable.
Regarding staff attachments, Sakeena Itoo clarified that no NHM staff/employee belonging to Block Tangdar and Karnah Constituency is presently attached, deployed or posted outside their respective places of duty anywhere in Kupwara district. She added that deployment of regular staff is being examined to ensure equitable distribution of available manpower and minimise shortages at peripheral and difficult-area health institutions.
The Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to ensure optimum utilisation of human resources and uninterrupted healthcare delivery in Karnah and other difficult areas through rational deployment, recruitment against sanctioned vacancies and augmentation of manpower under approved NHM programmes, subject to applicable norms and availability of resources.
MLA also raised a supplementary to the question.