Sending a tough message to doctors working abroad, Jammu and Kashmir government has sacked more than 400 medicos in the past three years.
SRINAGAR: Sending a tough message to doctors working abroad, Jammu and Kashmir government has sacked more than 400 medicos in the past three years for ‘unauthorised absence from duties’ in the state.
“Since 2003, we have terminated 410 doctors from services. We think such measures are in public interest given our commitment for better healthcare. Around 200 doctors were appointed through Public Service Commission (PSC),” said KB Jindal, secretary, health and medical education.
J&K has also prepared dossiers against 70 more doctors, who have skipped their duties and have taken up jobs in Gulf and other countries illegally.
“We have to follow certain procedures before taking a final decision. We will issue show-cause notices and complete other legal formalities before terminating them,” said Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, director, health department Kashmir.
According to official figures, 5,239 doctors and 267 vaids/hakims are working in 3,698 health institutions in the health department.
More than 300 doctors leave medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir annually. Adding to the figure is more than 1,000 doctors, who study in different medical colleges across the country. However, the job market is so tight that most of the doctors have to work on contractual basis for Rs 8,000 a month.
“There are more than 2,000 doctors unemployed in our state. There has been no increase in the number of faculty members in medical education department since 1976. Even the posts falling vacant are not filled.
Nearly 50 per cent of posts are lying vacant in the department,” said Dr Arshad Mehraj, spokesman of Junior Doctors Association (JDA).
Arshad added that lack of infrastructure, poor service conditions and lackadaisical attitude of the government force doctors to leave Kashmir and work in other countries.
“The government appoints a post-graduate doctor as assistant surgeon and places him in a dispensary in a remote area where even a pain-killer tablet is not available. He is bound to get frustrated and leave the job,” he said.
The government is, however, unconvinced and has made two years service in rural areas mandatory for doctors intending to go abroad for higher studies.
The government has also tightened noose around doctors who leave Kashmir on pretext of pursuing higher education outside the state. Now on, no in-service doctors will be allowed to pursue higher studies outside if such courses are available in the state, sources said.
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