Srinagar:
Chairman Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) and former Minister Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen has expressed serious concern over the poor healthcare facilities in various hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir, mainly due to the acute shortage of staff including specialist doctors, paramedical staff, and qualified hospital administrators. He has also lamented staff shortages in various educational institutions. Despite having a sufficient number of trained and competent doctors, specialists, nurses, and highly qualified educated youth available, the government has failed to devise a fast-track recruitment system to overcome staff scarcity.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Hakeem Yaseen expressed dismay over poor healthcare facilities in various health centers and hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir due to the dearth of staff. He also lamented the shortage of teaching staff in various educational institutions. He urged the government to launch a fast-track recruitment process to fill up all vacancies of doctors, specialist doctors, paramedical staff in various health institutions, and vacancies of teaching staff in educational institutions. He said it was most unfortunate that our well-trained doctors, specialist doctors, and nurses were compelled to move to overseas countries for seeking jobs, though we have a large number of vacancies lying unfilled due to faulty planning. “Pooh-poohing Government claims about the availability of adequate healthcare facilities in various health centers and hospitals and the launching of the National Education Policy (NEP), Hakeem Yaseen said in the absence of adequate staff in hospitals and educational institutions, one can never expect up to the mark delivery of services.
He said Government claims about better health facilities in hospitals and successful implementation of national education policy were far from the ground reality. He said some of our primary health institutions are equipped with world-class diagnostic apparatus but these high-tech machines are gathering dust due to non-appointment of specialists and technical experts. He said due to a shortage of the workforce, the existing staff in hospitals was also confronting stressful working conditions which ultimately take the toll on the hapless patients. PDF Chairman has urged LG Manoj Sinha to order filling up of all the vacancies in educational institutions and the Health and Medical Education department on a war footing basis. He said staff gaps should be filled by hiring teachers, doctors, and nurses on an ad-hoc basis in the interest of public good. “Maintaining that healthcare delivery being a human emergency so shortage of staff in hospitals should be seen as one of the main obstacles in the delivery of effective health services to those who need them most. PDF Chairman has also sought personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to take a review of the education and healthcare delivery system in Jammu and Kashmir alleging that the ground position was contrary to government claims.