Says “Step will streamline public service delivery in remote areas”
Jammu : Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, Thursday said that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has made a remarkable announcement of granting incentives to employees posted in far flung and remote areas while presenting Budget 2026-27.
The Minister stated this while replying to a question of Legislator Javaid Ahmad Mirchal in the House Thursday.
he Minister emphasized a new initiative aimed at enhancing public service delivery in remote areas, particularly in critical sectors such as Health and Education. To address the shortage of medical personnel at Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Tangdar Karnah, the Health and Medical Education (H&ME) department has referred 480 Medical Officer positions to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) for recruitment. Once the selection process is completed, the newly appointed doctors will be assigned to underserved areas, including SDH Tangdar Karnah, in accordance with existing policies. Additionally, the Minister reported that 292 vacancies in the non-gazetted and paramedical categories from the Directorate of Family Welfare, Maternity and Child Health (MCH), and Immunization have been referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) for recruitment, with advertisements already published for candidate selection. Furthermore, 802 non-gazetted vacancies, including Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) and Sanitation Worker positions related to the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, are currently under review for referral to JKSSB. The Minister also noted the appointment of two doctors as Medical Officers in 2024 at NTPHC Hajinar and NTPHC Gundishor; however, their failure to join duty led to the cancellation of their appointment orders. According to National Health Mission (NHM) guidelines, staff are typically assigned to sanctioned positions in sub-centres within the Karnah Constituency. Over time, some NHM staff have been temporarily reassigned for valid reasons, such as medical or administrative needs, without compromising service delivery. Currently, the NHM staff in Karnah remains largely intact. Legislator Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurezi) raised a supplementary question during the session.
