Srinagar, Oct 3: Nearly two-thirds of the sanctioned doctor and specialist posts at Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Bani are vacant, with key positions including gynaecologist, surgeon, paediatrician and anaesthetist among those unfilled, according to information provided by the health department under the Right to Information Act.
The RTI reply issued by the Block Medical Officer, Bani, shows that against 28 sanctioned doctor/specialist posts at SDH Bani, only nine are in position while 19 are vacant. The information was provided in response to an RTI application and forwarded by the Chief Medical Officer, Kathua, on September 25, 2026.
The vacancy position is particularly significant in specialist services. The posts listed in the RTI include gynaecology/obstetrics, medicine, surgery, paediatrics, orthopaedics, anaesthesia, ENT, ophthalmology and radiology.
The department has specifically stated that the gynaecologist/obstetrician post has remained vacant for more than a decade. The RTI reply, however, does not provide the exact date from which the post has remained vacant.
The wider staffing position across SDH Bani and health institutions under the Bani block also shows substantial vacancies. The attached staffing statements list 145 sanctioned posts, 77 employees in position and 68 vacancies across the institutions covered in the statement.
The shortage extends to peripheral health institutions. The staffing annexures show vacancies among medical officers, dental surgeons, pharmacists, community health officers, health educators, nurses, laboratory technicians and other categories at PHC Dhaggar, PHC Koti Chandyar, NTPHC Sandroon, NTPHC Lowang and NTPHC Dullangal, among others.
The RTI reply also reveals that the X-ray machine at SDH Bani has been non-functional since July 3, 2026.
According to the information supplied by the hospital, the machine was a 2015 model Allenger 325, purchased through a donation from NHPC and installed in 2015. Its present status has been recorded as “non-functional” due to a fault in the KVP controller. The latest inspection, maintenance and repair record supplied with the reply is dated November 8, 2022.
The hospital’s ultrasound facility, in contrast, has been reported as functional. The machine, a 2021 E-CUBE 5 model, was purchased on December 15, 2021 and installed on April 28, 2022. The latest inspection record provided in the RTI reply is dated May 25, 2025.
The hospital has also reported that its dialysis service is still under installation. The RTI response does not provide any operational date for the service.
The operation theatre, however, has been reported as functional, according to the reply.
Despite the manpower and equipment gaps, SDH Bani has recorded a substantial patient load.
The RTI data shows that the hospital handled 47,816 OPD patients, 2,068 admitted patients and 2,576 casualty cases in 2022-23.
In 2023-24, the OPD footfall rose to 50,873, while admissions stood at 2,124 and casualty cases at 2,881.
In 2024-25, the hospital recorded 46,877 OPD patients, 2,141 admissions and 3,946 casualty cases. The figures show that while OPD attendance declined from the previous year’s level, casualty cases increased to their highest level among the three years listed.
The RTI reply also states that no inspection/assessment of SDH Bani had been conducted till the date of the response, including an assessment under the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS).
This comes despite the hospital reporting significant patient attendance and vacancies in key medical and paramedical posts.
The RTI response also provides the budget and expenditure figures for SDH Bani for the last three financial years.
In 2023-24, the hospital was allocated Rs 8.36 crore, against which expenditure was Rs 8.33 crore.
In 2024-25, the allocation was Rs 9.06 crore, while expenditure stood at Rs 9.05 crore.
For 2025-26, the allocation was Rs 9.46 crore, with expenditure of Rs 9.38 crore.
The reply further says that proposals and communications concerning filling vacant posts or strengthening facilities during the previous three years “pertain to higher authorities”, without providing details of action taken.
The diagnostic facilities listed in the annexure include sputum testing through TrueNat, complete blood count, malaria testing, liver and renal function tests, urine examination, blood grouping and cross-matching, dengue and typhoid serology, CRP, ASO, lipid profile, blood sugar, X-ray, ultrasound and ECG.
The equipment list includes a CBC analyser, biochemistry analyser, TrueNat machine, microscope, urine analyser, centrifuge machine, colorimeter, cross-matching machine, refrigerator and blood-storage refrigerator. The biochemistry analyser has been marked non-functional for one month.
The RTI application was filed by Mudasar Ali of Lowang, Bani, and the information was supplied by the Block Medical Officer, Bani, through the Chief Medical Officer, Kathua.(KNS)
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