JnK Government says no proposal to upgrade 4 healthcare facilities in Pampore

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has informed the Legislative Assembly that there is currently no proposal to open or upgrade healthcare facilities at Ratnipora, Nehama, Lethpora and Zantrag in the Pampore constituency. 

The Health and Medical Education Department also stated that there is no proposal at present to revive the Health Department Fund (HDF) engagement mechanism as an interim measure to address the shortage of paramedical staff across healthcare institutions in the Union Territory.

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The Health and Medical Education Department made the disclosure in a written reply to a starred Assembly question tabled by MLA Hasnain Masoodi regarding healthcare institutions in the Union Territory.

It said no proposal for opening or upgrading healthcare facilities at the identified locations was currently under consideration.

It cited austerity measures introduced by the Finance Department through Government Order No. 198-F of 2026 dated May 22, 2026, including a ban on the creation of new posts.

The government said Jammu and Kashmir was currently focusing on consolidating existing healthcare facilities, given that around 4,000 health institutions at primary, secondary and tertiary levels were already functioning across the Union Territory. The government further stated that Jammu and Kashmir was among the leading large states and Union Territories in terms of healthcare institution density, reports KNO.

Citing a 2023 report of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the department said J&K has one health institution for approximately every 3,500 people, compared with the national average of one institution for every 6,000 people.

Regarding the shortage of medical and paramedical staff, the government provided division-wise details of vacant posts in its reply.

The government also provided details of vacancies in the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir. Of the 22 sanctioned senior consultant posts, 18 were vacant, while 152 of 443 consultant posts remained vacant.

Among 1,750 sanctioned medical officer posts, 1,474 were filled, leaving 276 vacancies. The shortage was higher among paramedical and other staff, with 2,744 vacancies against 9,434 sanctioned positions.

Overall, the figures showed a shortage of 3,190 medical, paramedical and other staff in the Kashmir division across the categories listed in the government reply.

On the demand to revive the HDF engagement mechanism to provide immediate relief to understaffed healthcare institutions, the department said no such proposal is currently under consideration.

However, it added that if the issue is taken up in the future, it would be examined on its merits in due course.

Responding to the demand for upgrading healthcare facilities at Ratnipora, Nehama, Lethpora and Zantrag, the government said there was currently no proposal for opening or upgrading health institutions in the department. The department said its focus was on strengthening existing healthcare facilities in accordance with the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) 2022 norms, reports Kashmir News Observer.

It added that efforts were also being made to improve access to healthcare through rationalisation of available resources and the development of a robust e-Sanjeevani and telemedicine network based on a hub-and-spoke model.

The government said these measures were aimed at addressing critical gaps in healthcare delivery while ensuring access to medical assistance through existing infrastructure.

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