Srinagar: The Committee on Estimates of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Wednesday reviewed the functioning of the Health and Medical Education Department, with a focus on healthcare infrastructure, availability of medical personnel and service delivery across the Union Territory.
The meeting, chaired by Committee Chairman Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi, examined the department’s performance and sought detailed information on healthcare infrastructure, human resources and administrative mechanisms.
The Committee directed the department to furnish district and block-wise details of sanctioned posts of doctors in district hospitals, sub-district hospitals and medical blocks to facilitate an assessment of staffing requirements.
It also sought block-wise data on filled and vacant posts in these institutions over the past five years to assess manpower trends, identify shortages and recommend measures to improve healthcare services.
During the meeting, Gurezi stressed the need for timely submission of accurate data to support evidence-based planning and directed the department to ensure immediate posting of doctors in rural and underserved areas.
The Committee also called for measures to strengthen security and monitoring in public health institutions, including the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
In addition, it sought details on the implementation of online and biometric attendance systems for employees across healthcare institutions to improve administrative accountability.
The meeting was attended by Committee members Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Balwant Singh Mankotia, Ali Mohammad Dar, Javid Hassan Beigh, Irshad Rasool Kar, Sajad Shaheen, Sunil Bharadwaj and Pyare Lal Sharma, along with Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education, M. Raju, Director Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Managing Director, National Health Mission (NHM), principals of government medical colleges and other senior officials.
