To fill the medical officer posts that have fallen vacant with the termination of 437 newly appointed doctors, State government is operating the waiting list of candidates, with around 300 aspirants being selected in phased manner.
With over 500 posts of medical officers for peripheral health system still vacant in J&K, Government has begun the process of operating waiting list of aspirants who had qualified the written examination held by JK public service commission (JKPSC).
In the first phase, an official in health and medical education department said, about 200 candidates are being selected and posted. Later, the official said, about 100 more posts will be filled from the aspirants in waiting list.
Commissioners secretary health and medical education, AtalDulloo said that around 300 aspirants for medical officer posts, who havecleared the JKPSC written test held in December last year, will be issuedappointment and posting orders “soon”. “We have almost finalisedit with JKPSC,” he said.
“We have asked JKPSC to give us 50 percent waiting list asper the rules,” he said, adding that the Commission however would need to checkvarious selection criteria and category-wise posts.
On 4 December 2018, J&K government issued a notificationfor SRO 538 to amend J&K special recruitment rules 2015. As per thisamendment, the selection agency (PSC) is required to prepare a waiting list “upto 50 percent of total number of posts advertised”, translating into 500aspirants in waiting list.
The waiting list will be valid for a period of one year fromthe date of issue of selection list.
A source in health and medical education department said that more posts were slated to fall vacant as many candidates who have joined had been selected for postgraduate courses in the ongoing counselling by JK board of professional entrance examinations (BOPEE).
He said that even with operationalising waiting list, hundreds of posts were feared to remain vacant. “Medical officer posts have been made less lucrative even though there is a gross shortage of manpower in health sector of rural areas,” he said.
Meanwhile a delegation of aspirants has alleged that many selectees, who are in the final years of the postgraduate courses, have “managed to keep their appointment intact”.
“If the Government checks the roasters of two directorates and rolls of medical colleges here, there are some doctors who would figure on both,” an aspirant alleged. He questioned how some medical officers were being allowed to continue PG when over 437 other doctors had been terminated for the same reason.
The delegation urged Government to seek a list of third-yearPG students from medical colleges who had been selected by JKPSC and verifytheir physical presence by surprise checks.