The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission has released a select list of about 1,000 medical officers, but has not drawn a waiting list of 500 more aspirants as required by recently enacted rules.
This has put a question mark on implementation of the rule established last month to ensure availability of human resource to be hired without having to wait for the selected candidates for long to join medical services in far flung or un-serviced areas.
Official data reveals 958 selected doctors have been directed to report to the Commission for verification of their documents in order to fill the posts up fast for improving healthcare services across the state.
On December 4, the state government issued a notification for SRO 538 to amend special recruitment rules of 2015, requiring the JKPSC to prepare a waiting list of “up to 50 percent of total number of posts advertised”.
In case the number of vacancies is up to 10 the waiting list can be of as many aspirants.
However, the selection list of medical officers issued four days after the notification is not accompanied with the required waiting list.
Chairman JKPSC, Lateef u Zaman Deva said the Commission has prepared a waiting list according to the earlier rules that was “20 percent” of the advertised posts.
“This notification (that calls for 50 percent waiting list) was issued recently, days before the select list,” Deva said, adding a waiting list according to the new rules would be furnished before the government “when vacancies arise”.
This omission raised questions about fate of posts that would remain vacant for long in case the selected doctors cannot join in time for reasons of engaged elsewhere for higher education or training.
Aspirants who are not in the selection list but ready to join are apprehensive that in case a candidate was not immediately available to, failure of government to appoint a candidate in waiting will keep the post vacant.
“If government takes no action when a candidate does not join, there is ample room for the unavailable candidate to stake claim later,” an aspirant for the post of medical officer said.
According to the November 29 order, aspirants in a waiting list valid for a year would be considered for filling up “drop-out vacancies”.
Commissioner Secretary health and medical education, Atal Dulloo said a waiting list will be made available with every selection list according to recruitment rules.
“But right now, medical officer list is provisional and subservient to verification of documents,” Dulloo said, adding no candidate will be allowed to block any available post.
“Selectees will need to make a choice, Government is clear about that.”
On November 20, a government order for ensuring selected medical officers were available to join immediately said those selected doctors enrolled or working on some other tenure post “will have only one choice, either to opt for appointment or opt out and go for post graduation/ tenures of senior residency, registrarship, demonstartorship”.