Srinagar, Sep 25: Nearly four out of five sanctioned posts of Senior Consultants in Jammu and Kashmir’s health institutions are lying vacant, highlighting a severe shortage of specialist doctors in the government healthcare system, particularly in rural, peripheral and far-flung areas.

The shortage is likely to compound dependence on referrals for patients requiring specialised treatment, with the government data showing significant vacancies across several key categories of medical and paramedical staff.

A written reply by the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department in the Legislative Assembly, in response to a starred question by MLA Saifullah Mir on the “poor quality of healthcare” in J&K, showed that only 11 of the 51 sanctioned posts of Senior Consultants are currently filled.

As many as 40 posts are vacant, translating into a vacancy rate of nearly 78 percent.

The shortage extends to Consultants as well. Against 936 sanctioned posts, 543 are filled while 393 remain vacant.

The shortage is also significant among Medical Officers. Of the 2,859 sanctioned posts, 840 are vacant.

The department, however, said appointment orders for 335 Medical Officers have recently been issued. These doctors, according to the reply, will “shortly” be posted to “peripheral, far-flung and underserved areas having an acute shortage of doctors.”

The staffing gap is not confined to doctors. Of 18,745 sanctioned paramedical posts, 6,248 are vacant, leaving nearly one-third of the sanctioned positions unfilled.

Dental Surgeons are an exception, with all 486 sanctioned posts reported to be filled.

The government said steps were being taken to address the vacancies through recruitment. It said 466 non-gazetted posts in Kashmir division had been referred to the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB).

The department also said 292 vacant posts under Family Welfare, Maternity and Child Health and Immunisation, besides 290 non-gazetted and paramedical vacancies in Jammu division, had been referred to the JKSSB.

At the same time, 839 non-gazetted posts and 261 Class-IV (MTS) posts in Jammu division are “under examination” and pending with the Finance Department.

The government reply also points to fiscal constraints affecting the creation of new posts. It said the Finance Department had imposed austerity and expenditure-rationalisation measures for 2026-27 under Government Order No. 198-F, issued in May this year, which placed restrictions on the creation of new posts.

Instead of relying primarily on expansion of health infrastructure, the government said its approach was focused on better utilisation of existing specialist capacity through technology and rotational postings.

Under the existing arrangement, postgraduate residents are mandated to undergo three-month postings at District Hospitals, Sub-District Hospitals and Community Health Centres.

The government has also maintained that J&K already has roughly one health facility for every 3,500 people and that the focus going forward would be on “consolidation, strengthening and optimal utilisation of existing facilities” rather than construction of new institutions.

The vacancy figures, however, indicate that the challenge is not merely the availability of health facilities but also the availability of specialist and supporting staff to provide services at those institutions.

Srinagar, Sep 25: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday accused BJP MLAs of creating a ruckus in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to evade voting on a resolution seeking immediate restoration of statehood to the Union Territory.

Talking to reporters in the assembly premises after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather adjourned the House for 30 minutes following unruly scenes and fistfights among MLAs, Abdullah said that the fresh resolution tabled by him did not dilute earlier resolutions on greater autonomy or special status but to have one voice for restoration of statehood.

“You saw how the BJP reacted to this. Because they simply do not want to vote on statehood. They want to back out of this vote under one pretext or another,” Abdullah said.

Addressing the uproar, Abdullah emphasised that the House was not being asked to vote on Article 370 or special status, as those resolutions passed on June 26, 2000, and November 6, 2024, were already the property of the House.

The erstwhile state assembly had passed a resolution moved by the then government headed by Farooq Abdullah on June 26, 2000 seeking restoration of greater autonomy as existed before August 9, 1953. On November 6, 2024, the assembly of the Union Territory had passed a resolution seeking the restoration of special status.

“Today, no one is asking them to vote on Article 370… or special status or autonomy. We are asking for a vote from the BJP solely and exclusively on statehood, and they are not ready,” he said.

Refuting the BJP’s allegations that the measure was “anti-national”, Abdullah challenged the Opposition to point out any unconstitutional language in the text.

“We are simply saying that the Centre must immediately restore full and complete statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Show me one anti-national word used in this resolution,” he added.

On BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma’s demands for accountability regarding governance over the past two years, Abdullah said he was prepared for a debate on Monday to place the government’s performance, along with the difficulties faced, before the House prior to a vote.

“I am ready. Bring the discussion on Monday; whatever our performance has been over the past two years, we will place everything before the house. And the difficulties we faced over these two years, the problems we ran into, the hardships we had to confront — ”we will bring all of that forward as well. And after that, we hope the house votes on this resolution, and we will send this resolution to the central government,” he said.

Reiterating that the assembly represents the collective voice of the people beyond the ruling party cabinet, Abdullah urged the 29 BJP legislators to participate in the debate rather than disrupting proceedings.

“Don’t abstain, don’t walk out, don’t create a ruckus, cast your vote! If you support statehood, vote ‘yes’; if you oppose statehood, vote ‘no’. Let the people know,” he said.

He said the BJP MLAs were elected to the house as they had contested in the name of statehood. “They constantly remind us of our manifesto, yet they don’t remember their own! So today, I tell them again: whatever you want to say, say it inside the house,” he said.

Responding to queries on Congress support, the Chief Minister expressed satisfaction, saying that the Congress MLAs recognised there was nothing unconstitutional about sending a unified legislative demand to New Delhi.

Defending the decision to mention previous resolutions, Abdullah said he had to mention that as he did not want anyone to fall prey to any misunderstanding.

“Tomorrow, you might say, ‘Look, they abandoned those resolutions and brought this one instead.’ That is why we said ‘in addition’ — ”meaning those resolutions remain property of the house. We are not touching those resolutions; they stand in their place. But today, we are bringing a separate resolution on statehood, one that does not dilute earlier resolutions,” he added.

Asked about the need to bring the resolution when his cabinet had passed a similar resolution two years ago, Abdullah said two years is a very long time to make the people of Jammu and Kashmir wait for statehood.

“Clearly, the voice of the Cabinet was not considered to be the voice of the people. Therefore, since the legislature represents the entire spectrum of political opinion in Jammu and Kashmir… The Cabinet only represents the ruling party, but the legislature represents parties that are not part of the government,” he said.

Srinagar, Sep 25: J&K Peoples Conference president and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone on Friday hit back at the BJP’s objections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly’s resolution on statehood, arguing that the political and constitutional relationship between J&K and India cannot be divorced from the commitments and assurances surrounding the events of 1947.

As per the statement, Lone said the BJP was “making noise” because it had no substantive argument against the resolution, insisting that Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India must be understood in the context of the promises and constitutional arrangements that accompanied it.

“Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India because of the events of 1947. Promises were made to us in 1947. Because of that, we are here,” Lone said, arguing that restoration of statehood was not a matter of governmental charity.

He described the withdrawal of statehood as a “very bad act”, alleging that it was driven by “stubbornness” and “hatred”. He further argued that the constitutional relationship that evolved after accession, including the autonomy arrangements that existed before and after the 1953 watershed and the subsequent constitutional framework, could not simply be erased from the historical record.

Referring to the broader question of autonomy, Lone said issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional position, including the commitments associated with accession and subsequent arrangements, formed part of the political understanding under which the State’s relationship with India developed. 

“What does the BJP know? They just arrived the day before yesterday. You should talk about ’47,” Lone said, arguing that the question of how Jammu and Kashmir became part of India could not be separated from the historical commitments made at the time, he said in a statement.

On the possibility of pursuing a judicial route for restoration of statehood, after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah indicated that legal options could be explored, Lone said the immediate priority was to secure passage of the Assembly resolution.

“We will look at the legal route later; first, let’s focus on passing the resolution here,” Lone said.