Hospitals are being built. Trauma centres are coming up. Dialysis units and new healthcare facilities are expanding across Jammu and Kashmir. But who will run them? The reported freeze on creating new posts, expanding healthcare manpower, and even emergency hiring is alarming. You cannot build infrastructure without the human resources to operate it. A hospital without doctors, nurses, and technicians is just an empty building with expensive machines. The concern raised by healthcare students is legitimate. New facilities are meaningless if corresponding posts are not created. Existing healthcare workers are already overburdened. Adding new buildings without adding staff will only increase their workload, leading to burnout, fatigue, and compromised patient care. The healthcare system cannot function on the backs of exhausted employees. Equally troubling is the reported policy under which vacant posts may be permanently abolished if they remain unfilled for over two years. In a region where recruitment processes are often delayed due to administrative bottlenecks, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Essential positions could be lost forever. The public health system will weaken further. Restrictions on emergency and temporary hiring are another concern. Disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and unforeseen health crises require a flexible and responsive workforce. If hospitals cannot hire quickly during emergencies, patients will suffer. Preparedness is not just about stockpiling medicines. It is about having trained staff ready to respond. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah must intervene immediately. Critical clinical, paramedical, nursing, and emergency service posts must be exempted from such restrictions. Existing vacancies must be filled without delay. Workforce planning must be rational and aligned with the expanding healthcare infrastructure. Healthcare is not just about bricks and mortar. It is about the healer who holds your hand, the nurse who checks your vitals, and the technician who runs the scan. Without them, a hospital is just a building. And buildings cannot save lives. The government must act before the system collapses under its own weight. Patients are waiting. The healers must not be kept waiting too.
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