Avinash Azad
The Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri is facing a severe shortage of teaching faculty, Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), and Lady Medical Officers (LMOs), with 64 out of 119 sanctioned posts remaining vacant. Additionally, 122 out of 415 non-gazetted posts are also unfilled.
In response to questions raised by MLA Budhal, Javed Iqbal Choudhary, the Jammu and Kashmir Government informed the assembly about the vacancies in this premier healthcare institution of the Pir Panjal region, which provides medical services to over 15 lakh people.
“The vacant teaching faculty posts have been referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) for advertisement and selection of suitable candidates. The vacant positions are regularly being filled on an academic arrangement basis to address the faculty shortfall in each discipline, in accordance with SO 364 of 2020 dated 27/11/2020,” the government informed the house. They further added that the matter of filling the non-gazetted vacancies is under active consideration by the department.
It is pertinent to mention that the healthcare system in Rajouri recently faced a serious crisis due to a mysterious disease outbreak in the Badhal area of Budhal subdivision, which claimed several lives. In such a critical situation, a GMC operating with less than 50 percent of its sanctioned staff is ill-equipped to handle public health emergencies effectively.
