KASHMIR NEWS TRUST #KNT
A Division Bench of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh (Jammu Wing ) through a virtual mode comprising Chief Justice N. Kotiswar Singh and Justice M.A Chowdhary has expressed its serious concern over the shortage of Medical Officers and Paramedical Staff in Jammu Province and has issued directions to the J&K Government particularly Secretary to the Government, Health and Medical Education Department to indicate the steps taken to fill up the large number of vacancies of Medical Officers as well as the non gazetted and class –IV Employees in Jammu Division as well as the Kashmir Division.
The Division Bench headed by Chief Justice N.Kotiswar Singh further directed that the information be placed on record by way of an affidavit and the said affidavit shall also indicate the steps taken in respect of far-flung areas of Districts of Reasi, Poonch, Ramban, Kupwara, Baramulla, etc where the vacancies appear to be quite significant.
These directions were issued in a Public Interest Litigation filed by RTI Activist Balwinder Singh highlighting acute shortage of Medical officers and Paramedical Staff in various Health Institutions of J&K particularly in remote areas of Jammu Province.
Earlier, Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed with Advocates Rahul Raina, Supriya Chouhan and Muhammad Zulkarnain Chowdhary drew the attention of the Division Bench towards the latest status report filed by the Health and Medical Education Department wherein the comparative statement of the availability of Doctors and Paramedical Staff in Jammu and Kashmir Provinces were indicated. [KNT]
