The public healthcare system in Jammu and Kashmir stands at a critical juncture. With nearly 10,000 sanctioned posts lying vacant across government medical colleges, directorates and health institutions, the crisis is not merely administrative rather than a humanitarian emergency. Hospitals and primary health centres, already burdened by rising patient loads, are being forced to operate with skeletal staff. The result is predictable: delayed treatments, compromised care and a growing sense of despair among communities that rely on public health facilities as their only lifeline.
The numbers speak for themselves. Government Medical College Jammu is short of more than 1,400 staff, while its Srinagar counterpart faces a deficit of over 600. Baramulla, Anantnag, Rajouri and Udhampur tell similar stories, with hundreds of posts lying vacant against sanctioned strength. Family Welfare Department, entrusted with preventive and maternal health, is missing over 500 personnel. Most alarming is the situation in the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, where nearly 3,200 posts remain unfilled, crippling primary and secondary healthcare delivery in rural areas. The Directorate of Health Services, Jammu, too, grapples with over 1,400 vacancies.
This is not just a matter of statistics; rather each vacancy represents a missing doctor, nurse, technician, or paramedic who could have saved lives, reduced suffering, and strengthened the fragile health infrastructure of the union territory. The absence of human resources has left hospitals overstretched, rural health centres under-equipped, and patients vulnerable. In a region where terrain and weather already pose formidable challenges to healthcare access, the shortage of manpower is nothing short of catastrophic.
At the same time, the paradox is glaring. Thousands of educated youth in Jammu and Kashmir remain unemployed, many of them trained in medical and allied fields. The healthcare sector, with its sanctioned posts lying vacant, could absorb this talent and simultaneously address two pressing challenges: unemployment and healthcare delivery. Filling these vacancies is not just an administrative necessity; it is a moral imperative. It would mean transforming despair into opportunity, turning idle degrees into active service, and giving young professionals a chance to contribute meaningfully to society.
The health sector of Jammu and Kashmir needs urgent upgradation, not only in terms of filling sanctioned posts but also in creating new ones to meet the growing demands of a population that is young, diverse, and increasingly aware of its rights to quality healthcare.
The way forward must be comprehensive. Recruitment processes should be expedited, transparent, and merit-based, ensuring that vacancies are filled without delay. Simultaneously, training and capacity-building programs must be strengthened to keep pace with evolving medical technologies and practices. Incentives should be offered to health professionals willing to serve in remote and rural areas, where the shortage is most acute. Above all, health planning must shift from reactive firefighting to proactive investment in human resources, recognizing that doctors and nurses are the backbone of any healthcare system.
The crisis in Jammu and Kashmir’s healthcare sector is a wake-up call. It reminds us that health is not a luxury but a fundamental right, and that no society can progress if its people are denied access to timely and quality medical care. Filling the thousands of vacant posts is the first step toward healing the system. Empowering unemployed youth to step into these roles is the second. And building a robust, future-ready health workforce is the third.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve a healthcare system that is responsive and humane. The time to act is now.