Srinagar, Oct 07 (KNO): Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar is facing a significant shortage of manpower, with 347 faculty posts, 1,853 non-gazetted posts and 158 gazetted posts lying vacant.
According to details obtained by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the shortage has been reported across different categories of posts, raising concerns over the availability of adequate human resources for patient care, teaching and other hospital services at the premier healthcare institution.
The details reveal that GMC Srinagar has a sanctioned strength of 620 faculty posts, of which 347 are vacant, leaving only 273 positions filled.
Among the faculty posts, out of 125 sanctioned posts of Professors, 37 are vacant. Similarly, 107 posts are vacant out of 187 sanctioned Associate Professor posts.
The highest number of vacancies has been in the Assistant Professor category, where 203 posts are lying vacant against a sanctioned strength of 307.
The shortage is not confined to the teaching faculty. Among non-gazetted employees, 1,853 posts are vacant against a sanctioned strength of 4,840, leaving a substantial gap in the workforce required for day-to-day functioning of the institution.
Likewise, 158 posts are vacant among the gazetted category against a sanctioned strength of 379.
The vacancies assume significance as GMC Srinagar caters to a large number of patients not only from Srinagar but also from different districts of Kashmir and other parts of the Union Territory, with many patients being referred to the institution for specialised and tertiary-level treatment.
Patients and attendants said that adequate staffing is essential for ensuring timely consultations, investigations, procedures and other healthcare services, particularly in departments witnessing heavy patient footfall.
An attendant at the hospital said that patients often have to wait for consultations and other services and that strengthening the available manpower could help improve the overall patient experience.
“Patients come here from different districts with the hope of receiving specialised treatment. Adequate staff is important so that patients can get consultations and other services without unnecessary delays,” the attendant said.
Another patient said that doctors and other healthcare workers are already dealing with a large number of patients and that filling vacant posts would help reduce the pressure on the existing workforce.
“We understand that doctors and staff have a heavy workload. If the vacant posts are filled, it can benefit both patients and the staff by improving the availability of services,” the patient said.
The shortage of faculty members also has implications for medical education and training, as GMC Srinagar serves as an important teaching institution for undergraduate and postgraduate medical students.
With hundreds of faculty posts vacant, the existing teaching staff has to shoulder responsibilities related to academics, clinical services, research and patient care.
Similarly, vacancies among gazetted and non-gazetted employees can affect administrative, technical, nursing, support and other essential services, depending on the departments and categories involved.
Patients and attendants have urged the authorities to expedite the recruitment process and fill the vacant positions so that the institution can function with its required manpower strength.
They said that strengthening human resources at GMC Srinagar would not only improve patient care but also help reduce the workload on existing employees and ensure smoother functioning of the hospital—(KNO)