Srinagar, Sep 28 (KNO): Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Marh is functioning with a staff shortage of 21 posts against a sanctioned strength of 49, while its Digital X-ray facility remains non-functional due to the expiry of a rate contract, the Government informed the Assembly.
In reply to a question by MLA Surinder Kumar, the Health and Medical Education Department, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the hospital has the required machinery and equipment for patient care, but the Digital X-ray service is temporarily unavailable. Necessary steps have been initiated to restore the facility.
According to the reply, 28 of the 49 sanctioned posts at the hospital are filled, leaving 21 vacant. Of the 10 sanctioned Medical Officer posts, eight are occupied and two are vacant. The hospital has one Medical Officer with a postgraduate qualification in Gynaecology and three in Pathology.
Among key vacancies, both sanctioned posts of Head Pharmacist and Supervisor Pharmacist are lying vacant. Of the seven sanctioned Staff Nurse posts, only one is filled, while six remain vacant. Similarly, only two of the nine sanctioned FMPHW posts are occupied, leaving seven vacancies.
The hospital also has vacancies among support staff, including one Chowkidar and three Sanitation Worker posts.
The government said PHC Marh was upgraded to an SDH in 2002, with nine additional posts created, including consultants, medical officers and a dental surgeon. However, these posts were subsequently kept in abeyance.
It said revival of the posts would be taken up after withdrawal of prevailing austerity measures, subject to availability of resources and approval of the competent authority.
On recruitment, the department said appointment orders have been issued to 335 of the 416 newly selected Medical Officers, who will be posted against identified vacancies, with priority given to remote, peripheral and underserved health institutions.
It added that 292 vacant posts under Family Welfare, MCH and Immunisation and 290 non-gazetted/paramedical posts under the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu, have already been referred to the JKSSB for recruitment.
Besides, 839 non-gazetted vacancies and 261 MTS/Class-IV posts in Jammu division are under examination and will be referred to the JKSSB after completion of the required formalities and Finance Department concurrence—(KNO)