Srinagar, May 17: The Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, on Monday urged doctors to look beyond cities and towns, and serve in rural areas for a few years.
 “Nearly 70 per cent of our population stays in villages. I request doctors to start their careers from there so that they are able to serve those who need them the most,” Omar said after inaugurating the auditorium of the Government Dental College (GDC) here.    
 “The government will provide you (doctors) all the facilities and will try to do whatever it can. Asking you (doctors) to serve in rural areas that too in the beginning of your careers, I believe is not a big demand. It is just a request from government’s side,” Omar said.
 The Chief Minister hoped that response of doctors would be positive and they would follow his advice. “I am not asking you (doctors) to spend your entire life in villages. It is just a small request. Serve there when you are young and have no family commitments,” he added.
 Describing shortage of faculty members in GDC Srinagar as a cause of concern, Omar said, “Infrastructure and tall buildings don’t make an institution. If any institution is understaffed it hampers its reputation. Appropriate and able manpower is very important for any institution to survive. We want the GDC to produce doctors and surgeons of par-excellence.”
 The Chief Minister assured the GDC principal and the students that vacant posts of faculty members and others would be filled within 6-months.
 Earlier the GDC principal in his presentation said that nearly 57 posts of faculty members were lying vacant in the college for the past many years. 
 Omar praised doctors for their commitment towards studies. “I know you (doctors) have to work very hard to attain degrees and it take years for one to become a full fledged doctor. I salute your dedication, as it needs lot of commitment.” 
 The Minister for Medical, Technical Education and Youth Services and Sports
 R S Chib in his address said that super specialty hospital in the Jammu region would be ready by July this year while in Kashmir division it would be ready by end of this year.
 He said that he had taken up the issue of vacant post in Indira Gandhi Dental College Jammu and GDC Srinagar with the Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad.
 He assured me that both the colleges will be provided with the adequate staff soon

Lastupdate on : Mon, 17 May 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 17 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 IST