Jammu, February 24 According to figures shared by the Health and Medical Education Department, there are currently more than 1,000 vacant positions for doctors across Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kashmir division accounts for 797 of these vacancies—including 24 senior consultants, 253 consultants, 458 medical officers, and 62 dental surgeons—while the Jammu division has 288 vacant consultant positions as of February 2026.
"The districts of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are not facing a severe shortage of specialists... To address the shortage of doctors in peripheral and remote areas, the government has recently referred 480 medical officer positions to the J-K Public Service Commission for the selection of suitable candidates," the medical and health department said.
The department said it is monitoring issues related to the referral of direct recruitment vacancies, as well as the filling of promotion-quota posts, on a priority basis, and necessary steps have been taken to fill these vacancies from time to time.
After the selection process for medical officers is complete, the newly selected doctors will be posted to remote and underserved areas and healthcare institutions facing staff shortages, in accordance with the prevailing requirements and policies, the department said.
The department said the government is aware of the need to strengthen specialist services in peripheral hospitals.
Several remedial measures have already been initiated, including the rationalization and redeployment of available specialist manpower, the engagement of specialists on contract basis, the utilization of the National Health Mission (NHM) and other centrally sponsored schemes for hiring specialists, tele-medicine and e-Sanjeevani services for expert consultations, the department said.
These steps are expected to significantly reduce unnecessary referrals and improve access to specialist healthcare at the peripheral level.
With the establishment of seven new Government Medical Colleges across Jammu and Kashmir, the department said that the referral load to GMC Jammu and GMC Srinagar has been considerably reduced, as major specialist services are now being provided in these newly established institutions.
In addition, consultants and medical officers posted at Sub-District Hospitals (SDHs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are actively providing services at the peripheral level, thereby minimizing routine referrals.
These measures have significantly strengthened the availability of specialist care within the districts and have contributed to reducing unnecessary patient transfers to the tertiary hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar, the department said.
Referrals are made to GMC Jammu/Srinagar only in extreme emergencies.
On the paramedical front, the department said that 292 vacancies in the non-gazetted/paramedical category 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, which has been advertised to select suitable candidates.
Also, 290 vacancies in the non-gazetted/paramedical category from the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu have also been referred to the J&KSSB for recruitment.
In addition, 608 posts from the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu are also in the process of referral to JKSSB for recruitment, after obtaining the approval of the Finance Department, the department said.
Furthermore, the department said that 802 non-gazetted, multi-tasking staff vacancies and sanitation worker posts pertaining to the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir are currently under examination for further referral to JKSSB. These posts will be referred after obtaining the approval of the Finance Department.