Healthcare in rural areas

17/06/2019

Keeping in view the shortage of doctors in rural areas of the State, the Health and Medical Education Department initiated an exercise last year to fill vacant posts of Medical Officers. Accordingly, 921 Medical Officers were appointed on the recommendations of Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission. Governor's Administration has put several conditions on allowing in-service doctors to undergo Post Graduate, tenures of Senior Residency, Registrarship and Demonstratorship as this practice on repetition basis has led to large number of posts in peripheral areas of the State remaining practically vacant even after formal selection process thereby affecting the healthcare. With these appointments, the Government was expecting to overcome the crisis of non-availability of doctors in the rural areas up to large extent and to provide better healthcare facilities to the people.
However, this endeavour of the Health and Medical Education Department failed to yield the desired results as appointments of majority of the Medical Officers had to be cancelled due to their non-joining or resignations were tendered within few months after the appointments. During the earlier process of recruitment of Medical Officers, it had been observed that a substantial chunk of selectees were undergoing PG, Senior Residency, Registrarship and Demonstratorship at the time of their selection and as a consequence such selectees often plead for permission to continue their higher study courses and these posts, though substantively occupied, physically and practically remain vacant which in turn leads to great resentment in the public and consequent crisis of non-availability of doctors in the concerned health institution in rural areas.
Taking all the circumstances into consideration and in the interest of health and patient care, the Government has made it clear that from now onwards the concerned Head of the Department shall not forward any case of in-service doctor intending to appear in Senior Residency, Registrarship, Demonstrator-ship and PG Diploma unless or until concerned doctor has completed prescribed period of probation or three years of service, whichever is later and is intending to undergo such course for the first time during service for which a specific certificate shall be furnished by the concerned HOD. Moreover, the order states that the concerned eligible doctors shall in no case appear/undergo any such selection process at their own without adhering to the guidelines laid down in Government Order No.164-HME dated March 2, 2012 failing which disciplinary action shall be initiated against the doctor. It has explicitly been mentioned in the order that Section 24 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir provides that the State shall make every effort to safeguard and promote the health of people by ensuring widespread, efficient and free medical services throughout the State and with particular emphasis on remote and backward regions.

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