Srinagar, Sep 29 (KNO): The Government has said that there is no proposal under consideration to upgrade healthcare facilities at Ratnipora, Nehama, Lethpora and Zantrag in Pampore constituency.
The government, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) has also ruled out, for now, any proposal to revive the Health Department Fund (HDF) engagement mechanism as an interim measure to address the shortage of paramedical staff in healthcare institutions across Jammu and Kashmir.
In a written reply to a starred Assembly question tabled by MLA Hasnain Masoodi regarding health institutions, the Health and Medical Education Department said that no proposal for opening or upgrading healthcare facilities was currently under consideration.
The department said the Finance Department, through Government Order No. 198-F of 2026 dated May 22, 2026, had introduced austerity measures, including a ban on the creation of new posts.
It said Jammu and Kashmir was currently focusing on consolidating existing healthcare facilities, given that around 4,000 health institutions at primary, secondary and tertiary levels were already functioning across the Union Territory.
The government further stated that Jammu and Kashmir was among the leading large states and Union Territories in terms of healthcare institution density.
Citing a 2023 report of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the department said there was one health institution for approximately every 3,500 people in Jammu and Kashmir, compared to the national average of one institution for every 6,000 people.
Regarding the shortage of medical and paramedical staff, the government provided division-wise details of vacant posts in its reply.
According to the figures provided for the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, there are 18 vacant posts against 22 sanctioned senior consultant positions, while 152 posts are vacant against 443 sanctioned consultant positions.
Similarly, against 1,750 sanctioned posts of medical officers, 1,474 are filled, leaving 276 vacant.
The shortage is more pronounced in the paramedical and other staff categories, where 2,744 posts are vacant against 9,434 sanctioned positions, with 6,690 employees currently in position.
Overall, the figures indicate a shortage of 3,190 medical, paramedical and other staff in the Kashmir division across the categories listed in the government reply.
On the demand for reviving the HDF engagement mechanism to provide immediate relief to understaffed healthcare institutions, the department said no such proposal was under consideration at present. However, it added that if the issue was taken up, it would be examined on its merits in due course.
Responding to the demand for upgrading healthcare facilities at Ratnipora, Nehama, Lethpora and Zantrag, the government said there was currently no proposal for opening or upgrading health institutions in the department.
The department said its focus was on strengthening existing healthcare facilities in accordance with the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) 2022 norms.
It also said efforts were being made to improve access to healthcare through rationalisation of available resources and the development of a robust e-Sanjeevani and telemedicine network based on a hub-and-spoke model.
The government said these measures were aimed at addressing critical gaps in healthcare delivery while ensuring medical assistance to people through existing infrastructure—(KNO)