Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug 26: Jammu and Kashmir High Court today directed the Health Department authorities to fill up the posts of 40 per cent quota of faculty members lying vacant in Government Medical Colleges in Srinagar and Jammu.
A division bench of Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir passed the directions after examining affidavits submitted by Commissioner/Secretary Health and Medical Education Department and Additional Secretary of the same department over the vacancies in both Medical Colleges.
In the affidavits, it has been mentioned that out of 55 posts of Professors, 43 are vacant; out of 63 posts of Associate Professors, 31 are vacant; 52 posts of Assistant Professors are vacant out of 103 and 45 post of Lecturers are vacant out of 178 in Srinagar Medical College.
Similarly in Jammu Medical College, out of 201 such posts, 61 are lying vacant, the affidavit revealed.
During the hearing, counsel of the health Department J A Kawoosa said that the department has made “incharge arrangements”, but the bench retorted “that would not satisfy to deal with the rush of patients”.
The court also said that the Government has no data available on the filling up of vacant post on SRO when the counsel said that SRO arrangements can be made to supply man power by re-employing retired persons under it.
“We fail to understand why no such arrangements have been made till posts could be filled up on regular basis,” the court asked.
The court also observed that in view of the rush of the patients the situation is alarming as medical faculty is not available.
The bench said that arrangments in this regard must be made by referring the post to PSC and its status report should be filed on next hearing, the court directed.
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