JAMMU, NOVEMBER 28: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo chaired a meeting with the Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department to address the critical shortage of doctors in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting, attended by senior officials from the Department, reviewed the availability of medical staff across various districts and identified blocks facing acute deficiencies in doctor numbers.
During the discussions, the Chief Secretary emphasized the need for a comprehensive strategy to address the issue. He proposed a roadmap to encourage young professionals to serve in these underserved areas and suggested providing incentives such as Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) based on the number of days doctors work in remote locations. Additionally, he recommended improving amenities and other benefits to make these positions more attractive.
Dulloo also advocated for the establishment of telemedicine kiosks in health facilities to provide remote consultations from district hospitals and medical colleges, enhancing access to healthcare for people in distant areas. He further called for the rationalization of the District Residency Program (DRP) to ensure that each district has an adequate number of doctors and proposed extending the residency program to Sub-district Hospitals in remote blocks.
Secretary, H&ME, Dr. Syed Abid Rashid Shah, shared that the department currently has a 71% availability of doctors across its health facilities, with a significant number of consultants, medical officers, and dental surgeons in place. He assured that the department would implement the Chief Secretary’s directives to improve medical care in the most remote regions of the Union Territory.