UDF alleges eligible local medicos being denied opportunity to compete on merit, seeks Nadda’s intervention
Srinagar: The United Doctors Front (UDF) Bharat, J&K Chapter, has sought the immediate intervention of Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda over the denial of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to eligible doctors serving in Jammu and Kashmir, preventing them from applying for faculty positions at the upcoming AIIMS Awantipora.
In a representation, a copy of which lies with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the doctors’ body expressed strong objection to what it described as an administrative hurdle being faced by doctors working under the Health Services and Health and Medical Education establishments in Jammu and Kashmir.
The UDF said several doctors who have been serving the people of J&K for years and who meet the prescribed service and eligibility criteria are seeking an opportunity to apply for faculty positions at AIIMS Awantipora.
According to the organisation, the doctors are not seeking any preferential treatment but only the opportunity to participate in the recruitment process and compete with other eligible candidates on the basis of merit.
The doctors’ body alleged that denying NOCs without clearly communicating specific, rule-based reasons amounts to an unnecessary bureaucratic obstruction that could deprive qualified local doctors of an opportunity to serve in one of the Union Territory’s premier healthcare institutions.
“Preventing them from even applying, without providing clear and specific rule-based reasons, is a serious and unacceptable bureaucratic obstruction,” the organisation said in its representation.
The UDF further expressed concern that continued restrictions could have a negative impact on the morale of doctors serving in J&K’s government healthcare institutions. It said doctors who have spent years working in the region should not be prevented from exploring legitimate career opportunities within the public healthcare system.
The organisation also raised concerns over the possible impact of the reported denial on the local medical workforce, arguing that exclusion of eligible J&K doctors from the recruitment process could result in an uneven playing field between local candidates and applicants from outside the Union Territory.
“If such exclusion continues, it will adversely affect the morale of J&K doctors and the local medical workforce,” the UDF stated, while seeking clarity on whether local doctors were being kept away from regular recruitment opportunities.
The doctors’ body urged the Union Health Minister to examine the matter at the appropriate level and ensure that the recruitment process remains transparent, fair and based on clearly notified eligibility conditions.
It has specifically requested that doctors who fulfil the prescribed criteria be allowed to apply for faculty positions at AIIMS Awantipora without what it termed “arbitrary administrative restrictions.”
The UDF has also sought an impartial examination of the matter, saying that any restriction on a doctor’s eligibility to apply should be supported by clear rules and communicated through a transparent mechanism.
AIIMS Awantipora is expected to play a significant role in strengthening tertiary healthcare, medical education and specialist services in the Kashmir Valley.
The UDF has now sought intervention from the Union Health Ministry to ensure that eligible doctors from Jammu and Kashmir are not denied an opportunity to compete for faculty positions and that the recruitment process is conducted in accordance with established rules and principles of merit—(KNO)
