As second wave of covid-19 started infecting people throughout the nation, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir also became its victim. Soon a significant number of patients were admitted in hospitals and people became aware of lack of doctors and paramedical staff available in health facilities.
The administration started appointing doctors from August 2020 but officials who were entrusted to do this job took it lightly and as a result, this process is still going at a very slow pace. Data suggests that almost every hospital and other health centres in Jammu region is going through a shortage of doctors and paramedical staff.
When first wave of Coronavirus was going on then the J&K government announced that it will recruit 900 doctors so that they can treat patients in far-flung areas. The government decided that it will recruit doctors on a fast-track basis. Candidates were asked to apply only through online mode but this shortage has not been over even by now.
When this recruitment was going on then government clearly mentioned that candidates will have to work in remote areas. Government authorities had decided to recruit doctors at a fast pace as more than 500 medical officers who were recruited three year back did not join their duties after appointment. Once these doctors were confirmed to join, they were appointed in remote areas of J&K but they decided not to join their postings.
World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a doctor to patient ratio of 1:1000 which is 1:1880 in J&K. It shows that there are very less number of doctors available in the UT. Official documents mention that there is a total of 2192 sanctioned strength of doctors in the medical education sector. Out of those, 710 posts are vacant.
Department of health services follows a similar trend in which there is a total sanctioned strength of 4617 doctors, out of which 1653 posts of doctors have been lying vacant in the health institutes. The Department of Health Services is responsible for managing health centres including hospitals across the UT.
