Srinagar: More than 200 consultant posts are vacant in health department as the officials have failed to complete the procedure for the promotions of medical officers since 2016.
According to official sources, about 217 posts of consultants available under promotion quota in the health department are vacant for last four years because no meeting of departmental promotion committee (DPC) was held since 2016 to promote medical officers and dental surgeons on those posts.
They said the last departmental promotion was done in 2016 during which many medical officers and dental surgeons appointed till 2006 were promoted.
The department didn’t issue any promotion list of consultants since then even as the Public Service Commission appointed hundreds of them on selection quota while the posts of consultants under department quota are still vacant.
“The doctors who are specialists in various disciplines and have completed senior residency are eligible for promotions in senior positions. However, the health department failed to promote them as per a statutory order issued in 2013,” he said.
According to the aggrieved medical officers, the two directorates of health services in Kashmir and Jammu have already submitted the details about the doctors to the administrative department as part of the official procedures but the health department officials have has not finalised it yet.
“The list of medical officers holding postgraduate degrees, diplomas has already reached the Financial Secretary Health and Medical Education Department along with their annual performance reports, integrity certificates and posting details,” said a doctor.
“The Financial Commissioner has already ordered their DPC but his subordinates have messed up the process as they have illegally incorporated the names of some newly recruited medical officers in the list of genuine candidates appointed till 2016,” he said.
The illegal inclusion has delayed the process of DPC because the newly appointed doctors are yet to get the clearance from Vigilance and Crime Branch, he said.
The official spokesperson for the health department Dr Shafqat Khan told Kashmir Reader that process of DPC has already been initiated on fast track basis.
“The medical officers and B-grade specialists will be promoted soon as their promotion was pending for many years but we are doing it on fast track basis now. It will take some time as it’s a huge list,” he said.

Manzoor ul-Hassan