Process yet to begin, says Health Minister
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 13: Nearly six years after the establishment of new Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) across Jammu and Kashmir, thousands of Non-Gazetted (N-G) employees continue to work without formal recruitment/service rules- a gap that experts say is undermining both employee morale and institutional efficiency.
Government of Jammu and Kashmir had in 2017 approved the creation of 3,375 posts for five new GMCs in Kathua, Doda, Rajouri, Anantnag and Baramulla to strengthen healthcare infrastructure in underserved regions. These posts, filled through the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) in 2018, brought in a large workforce of technicians, administrative staff, and other support personnel. While Gazetted staff in these institutions has well-defined service rules and promotional avenues, their non-gazetted counterparts remain outside any such framework.
The Department of Health and Medical Education (HME) initiated steps to address these gaps as early as 2019, issuing Government Orders 831-HME and 16-HME to constitute committees for reviewing pay structures and framing recruitment guidelines. More panels were formed in 2020, 2023 and 2024, but their recommendations have either been stalled or never been implemented. The result is a growing pool of employees who have completed five to seven years of service without a single promotion or upward mobility.
The disparity is stark as gazetted employees in GMCs are eligible for promotion within three years, while non-gazetted staff remains in the same pay grades for nearly double that time. Employees argued this is not just a matter of income but of professional dignity. “For policymakers, service rules or recruitment rules may be just another administrative formality, but for us, it’s the foundation of our careers,” said a senior technician from GMC Doda.
Officials within the HME Department have previously acknowledged pay anomalies, yet no binding decision has been made to resolve them. Employees point out that the lack of service rules also disrupts internal hierarchy and affects institutional planning. Without defined roles, responsibilities, and promotion policies, staff deployment becomes ad hoc, potentially impacting patient care in already overburdened facilities.
An employee from GMC Kathua noted that around 3000 non-gazetted employees in the five colleges are “living in professional uncertainty,” stressing that they are not asking for special privileges but only for the same structured career growth available to their gazetted colleagues. Another employee from GMC Rajouri added, “We work in critical areas – from laboratories to wards – ensuring the system runs smoothly, yet we feel invisible to the authorities. All we want is recognition through proper service rules and a fair chance to move forward in our careers.”
When contacted, Health Minister Sakina Itoo admitted that the process of framing recruitment/service rules for the non-gazetted staff of the five new GMCs has not yet been initiated. On being asked about the timeline, she gave no specific commitment, stating only, “We will see.”
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