Early Times Report
Jammu, May 28: The change of guard in Health and Medical Education Department has made no difference to health centres in district Kathua, at least, which are craving for sufficient staff.
Documents in possession of Early Times reveal that there are 362 posts, including those of specialist doctors and paramedical staffs, vacant for a long time. Neither the former nor incumbent Health minister made any attempt to fill these vacancies.
"Most posts of doctors and paramedical staff are vacant in the district hospital, where 23 post of doctors including Gynaecologist, Ortho and Surgeons and 14 posts of paramedical staff remain vacant. It's followed by Community Health Centre (CHC) Parole where 13 posts of doctors and 18 paramedical staff are vacant", the documents read.
Besides, CHC Bani, which caters to vast hilly areas, has 26 posts including 11 doctors and 15 paramedical staffs vacant.
In Basholi, constituency of BJP's firebrand leaders, six specialist doctors and 15 paramedical posts are vacant.
In CHCs of Billaware and Hiranagar, 11 each posts of doctors and paramedical staff remain unfulfilled.
The callous approach of Health department could be understood from the fact that the lone Chief Medical Officer office itself faces dearth of paramedical staff. Ten posts remain vacant for a long time.
The much-hyped Trauma Centre, Mahanpur which was established at a cost of of many crores, is also craving for requisite manpower, as all the 16 sanctioned specialist doctors and Medical Officers posts are vacant.
"There is not even a single doctor posted in 19 PHCs, forcing a large number of population, which depend on these PHCs to move to other hospitals for treatment," sources said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the district Kathua having has district hospital, five CHCs, one trauma centre, one maternity hospital and more than six dozen PHCs and Sub Health Centres.
But all of them are facing serious dearth of doctors and paramedical staff, thanks to the callous government. |
