SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Monday urged the J&K government not to snatch livelihood of para-medical staff at a time when they are needed the most as front line respondents to fight battle against deadly Coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reacting sharply to disengagement of junior staff nurses by the Government Medical College Kathua, who were recruited by the J&K government under SRO-24 in January last year, Bukhari urged the Lieutenant Governor G.S Murmu to personally intervene into the matter and order immediate revocation of the termination order number 01 of GMCK of 2020 dated April 3, 2020.
The JKAP President observed that most of the terminated staff nurses of Government Medical College Kathua are the lone breadwinners for their families. “Instead of snatching their livelihood, these nurses should be allowed to continue their work. If the government is unable to provide jobs to lacs of our qualified unemployed youth, at least, it should not create more joblessness by disengaging the already adjusted professional people,” Bukhari remarked.
He said the disengagement of the para-medical staff by the Medical College Kathua would have devastating effects on their families who have put in all their resources and barely managed to give professional trainings to their children.
Bukhari also censured the J&K health services department for not allowing the already selected Medical Assistants in Kashmir Division to join their duties for frivolous reasons. “It is ironical that when the whole world is offering well paid jobs to healthcare professionals in this hour of pandemic, the department of health services in Kashmir division is not allowing 42 Medical Assistants selected by J&K Service Selection Board to join their duties for trivial reasons,” Bukhari said, while appealing the Lieutenant Governor to intervene into the matter and get the matter resolved.
“To fight the deadly Coronavirus disease, we need to have a robust healthcare system and adequate manpower. When the healthcare system in J&K is already running on crutches, the disengagement of paramedical staff means putting the lives of people at stake,” he remarked.
Bukhari reiterated his demand for fast-track recruitment process of doctors and paramedics in Jammu and Kashmir, in view of Coronavirus pandemic. He said the situation that emerged after COVID-19 outbreak has overburdened the medical fraternity of J&K, and emergency recruitment of medicos is need of the hour.
He urged J&K UT administration to rise to challenges posed by COVID-19 and immediately recruit more technical assistants, nurses, medical officers, medical assistants, theater assistants, X-ray and laboratory technicians and F/MPHWs on walk-in recruitment basis.
“We are facing such a war like situation where our doctors and paramedics are fighting the battle on ground. We need to support them and provide them all the necessary help and manpower to win this deadly war,” JKAP president urged.
Bukhari said that hospitals are grappling with shortage of ventilators, mask and protective gears amid COVID-19 threat. “The hospitals are facing shortage of essential testing kits to detect COVID-19 infected people. Administration needs to take more provocative steps to make these things available in hospitals,” he observed.
Bukhari said that one of the burning issues adding to the atmosphere of uncertainty and alienation in Jammu and Kashmir is the alarming rate of its unemployment. Any further delay in addressing this smoldering issue, he observed, would be rapt with dire consequences for the stability in the region.
The JKAP President said that instead of disengaging the para-medical staff, the Governor led administration should regularize all the casual, seasonal, ad-hoc, contractual, need-based and daily-rated workers, who are working in different departments for years together.
