Whether it was the government run by the LG’s administration in the past or the incumbent dispensation under the realms of CM Omar Abdullah and Health Minister Sakeena Itoo, the people at helm often boast of world class healthcare services put in place in J&K but the latest figures shared by the Health Department of the same government tell a totally different story.
The information shared by the Health Department about over 1000 posts of doctors lying vacant in the department has exposed the stories concocted about the robust healthcare system. In this case, the figures have gone against the rhetoric and have exposed the fake narrative which was crafted carefully to make a fool of the common man by promising stars and moon.
The reports have averred quoting the Health Department that out of 1000 vacant posts, 797 vacancies are in the Kashmir division, including 24 senior consultants, 253 consultants, 458 medical officers and 62 dental surgeons while Jammu division has 288 vacant consultant posts as of February 2026. Though the government seems to be in no hurry to plug the gap as the process of filling these vacancies is moving at a snail’s pace as reportedly, the government has recently referred 480 posts of medical officers to the J&K Public Service Commission for selection of suitable candidates.
The figures are testimony to the fact that the people who were in power in the recent past were lethargic and devoid of any interest to fulfill their responsibility to keep track of this vital sector concerning public health. Every single vacant post means a shortcoming in providing adequate healthcare whether it is a PHC, district hospital or specialized healthcare facilities in the urban centres. This has raised a crucial question over planning, accountability, and governance in the Union Territory and all the major political parties which were in power in the past as well as the party currently steering the government are answerable for this dearth of doctors across the UT.
Without adequate medical professionals in the department, it is quite easy to draw the picture of the abysmal condition of the healthcare sector in J&K, which seems to be pathetic and on crutches. It is the right time that the people at the helm should stop making big claims and try to combat the deficiencies in the health department without any lapse and lethargy.
There is no point in justifying how the concerned department is running its affairs with the acute shortage of doctors because the reality in this entire matter is crystal clear that all is not well and there is a need to gird up loins to ensure efficiency and bail out people from misery.
