JAMMU, February 24, 2026 : More than 1,000 doctor posts are lying vacant across Jammu and Kashmir, the Health and Medical Education Department has informed.
According to official data, the Kashmir division accounts for 797 vacancies, including:
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24 Senior Consultants
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253 Consultants
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458 Medical Officers
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62 Dental Surgeons
The Jammu division has 288 vacant consultant posts as of February 2026.
To address the shortage, the government has referred 480 Medical Officer posts to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) for direct recruitment. The department said vacancies under both direct recruitment and promotion quota are being monitored on a priority basis.
After completion of the selection process, newly recruited doctors will be posted to far-flung and under-served areas as per policy, the department said.
Measures To Strengthen Peripheral Healthcare
The government said it is focused on strengthening specialist services at peripheral hospitals through:
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Rationalisation and redeployment of existing specialists
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Contractual engagement of specialists
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Hiring under National Health Mission (NHM) and other central schemes
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Telemedicine and e-Sanjeevani services for expert consultations
These steps aim to reduce avoidable referrals and improve access to specialist care at district and sub-district levels.
Impact Of New Medical Colleges
With seven new Government Medical Colleges established across J&K, referral pressure on GMC Jammu and GMC Srinagar has reduced significantly, as many specialist services are now available locally. Referrals to tertiary hospitals are now made only in extreme emergencies, the department said.
Paramedical And Support Staff Recruitment
On the paramedical front:
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292 vacancies from the Directorate of Family Welfare, MCH and Immunization have been referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) and advertised
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290 paramedical posts from Directorate of Health Services, Jammu have also been sent to JKSSB
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608 additional posts from DHS Jammu are in the process of referral after Finance Department concurrence
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802 non-gazetted posts, including multi-tasking staff and sanitation workers under DHS Kashmir, are under examination for referral to JKSSB
The department said these measures are expected to significantly strengthen healthcare delivery across Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in rural and remote areas.
