* 338 Gazetted, 1736 paramedics posts vacant
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Sept 13: Government Medical College (GMC) and Associated Hospitals (AH) Jammu, which cater to the people of whole Jammu region, facing acute shortage of both gazetted and non-gazetted staff and thus, grossly affecting COVID management amid its peak in Jammu region.
As per the available records, against sanctioned gazetted posts of 870 in GMC&AH, only 532 posts are filled and 338 posts are vacant. Similarly, against 4591 sanctioned non-gazetted posts of nurses and paramedical staff, only 2855 posts are filled and 1736 posts are vacant. There are 215 faculty members against sanctioned strength of 350, particular at entry level. Similarly, against the sanctioned posts of 83 in various disciplines, only 24 faculty members are in position.
The record clearly showed that there are major deficiencies at entry level posts and in some departments at Assistant Professor level. The worst hit departments are Medicine (11 posts vacant), CD and TB (2 posts vacant), Surgery (9 posts vacant), Orthopaedics (1 post vacant), Anaesthesia (2 posts vacant), Pediatrics (6 posts vacant), ENT (3 posts vacant), Blood bank (2 posts vacant), Microbiology (5 posts vacant), Pathology (4 posts vacant), Radio Diagnosis (7 posts vacant), Biochemistry (2 posts vacant), Ophthalmology (3 posts vacant) and Radiotherapy (2 posts vacant).
Situation is worst at Government Super Speciality Hospital Jammu as 59 posts are vacant and only 24 faculty members are in position but no attempt has been made in the last 6 months by the administration of GMC Jammu to refer the entry level posts of faculty to J&K Public Service Commission or J&K Service Selection Commission or to fill these posts under academic arrangement basis from the non-PSC candidates.
The issue of lateral entry under legal dispute has already affected the faculty growth of department like Gastro-entrology, Urology and Cardiology. Similarly, litigations in the department of Orthopaedics, Medicine and Microbiology have adversely affected the faculty growth of respective departments.
Moreover, no attempt has been made to either refer the posts of newly created Maternity Hospital or to seek permission from the administrative department to appoint faculty members on academic basis. Nearly, 47 working registrars/demonstrators have completed their tenure and shall have to be relieved with immediate effect but instead of retaining doctors from clinical side, the GMC administration has requested the Financial Commissioner to retain doctors from non clinical departments, to favour some blue-eyed people.
Further as per the record available with Excelsior, only 89 Medical Officers, Consultants, CMO, RMO are present and nearly 56 posts of Medical Officers are vacant. The Medical Officers play vital role in smooth running of emergency units of the hospitals but this premier institution of Jammu is even short of Medical Officers. Even, the post of Medical Officer Control Room is also lying vacant. Moreover, thousands of posts of Nursing Orderlies are still vacant at GMC&AH Jammu. There is also acute shortage of helpers in various departments of the Medical College.
After the recent visit of LG Manoj Sinha, Government directed principals of both GMCs Jammu and Srinagar to appoint on fast track basis 100 Nursing Orderlies (NOs) each amid COVID pandemic. Though GMC Srinagar has almost completed the process of appointment of NOs, but GMC Jammu is yet to initiate the process.
Sources said that these gaps should have been filled in last six months during lockdown period by the GMC administration but deliberately nothing was done on behest of few senior HoDs so that they can plead their case for extension of services after 62 years.
It is worth mentioning here that age of superannuation was already enhanced by the J&K Government from 58 to 62 years in the past vide SRO 266 dated 30th August, 2014. Sources said these days when HoDs should meet to discuss strategy to improve COVID management and how to provide better facilities to the visiting patients, they are meeting frequently to discuss how to lobby and put pressure by creating artificial dearth of faculty deficiency at GMC Jammu to plead every corner of civil administration to get their retirement age enhanced.
“People die or live, they get oxygen or not, they get ventilator or not, they get medicine or not, they get consultation of seniors doctors or not, who bothers,” said one of the junior doctors who recently represented their grievances to administration. He said that senior HoDs of major departments are more interested in age enhancement and are least bothered about patient care and suffering of people.
He said that the country wide lock down was announced by the Modi Government just to give ample time to the health authorities of the country to fill the gaps with regards to necessary manpower, machinery equipment, ventilator capacity, infrastructure, oxygen plant capacity and bed capacity augmentation of the respective hospitals, so that whenever there is surge in COVID cases, the patients can be managed properly and the tragedy which the world has experienced in the most developing countries like Italy and USA can be prevented at large but the GMC administration wasted this precious time.
Sources said that the gaps in manpower could have been filled by various landmark provisions laid down by Government of J&K like engagement of faculty and nursing and paramedical staff under SRO 24 on academic arrangement basis, under recent Government order of appointing Visiting Faculty, under an order issued by Government amid COVID that any one getting superannuated within six months of issuance of order or who have already superannuated within last six months can be appointed for the COVID management on the post deemed to have been created.
It was highly desired to conduct series of walk in interviews to fill all these manpower gaps but the administration of GMC Jammu did not make a single attempt in this direction for last six months, sources alleged, adding, under Government order for contractual appointments in pursuance to order no 347-(JK) of 2020 dated 28.03.2020 not a single doctor could be appointed by the GMC administration.
Sources said that around 22 doctors and 35-40 paramedical staff of GMC&AH have been found positive till date which has further led to shortage of manpower, as according to the existing protocols, when one employee comes positive for COVID-19, he and his close contacts have to go for home quarantine for at least 14 days.
They further informed that total 18 nurses and paramedical staff joined after superannuation under the scheme at GMC Jammu, but issuance of one controversial order regarding administrative duties created a row among the routine staff and further due to mere mismanagement and allotting excessive duties to the temporary staff, many among them were forced to leave the jobs.
Thus, it will be not be incorrect to say that GMC Jammu, due to mismanagement of the current administration, has failed to manage the COVID pandemic at large in all aspects including providing manpower, as Excelsior has already highlighted that no senior doctors are available at the COVID wards and only Postgraduate, medical officers and junior staff nurses are running the show, that too, many time on telephone.
“Some one needs to be held responsible and accountable for making only referral hospital collapse due to incompetence and lack of vision and made public at large to suffer,” said one of the retired faculty member.
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