SRINAGAR, September 25, 2026 – The Jammu and Kashmir Government has officially acknowledged a significant unemployment crisis among medical professionals, informing the Legislative Assembly that as many as 5,753 dental surgeons are currently registered as unemployed across the Union Territory. Highlighting the administration’s financial constraints, Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo stated on the floor of the House that the government cannot immediately create new posts to accommodate these professionals, though she assured legislators that the issue would be addressed in a phased manner subject to the availability of funds. The matter was brought to the forefront during the ongoing session after Leader of the Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma raised pointed questions as to why Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) doctors were being systematically excluded from hospital administration positions while MBBS doctors and candidates with administrative degrees were deemed eligible for such vital roles. Responding to the opposition’s concerns, Minister Itoo revealed the stark reality that no fresh appointments for BDS doctors had been made since 2008, leaving thousands of qualified dental surgeons without public sector employment for nearly two decades. She further informed the Assembly that following recent directives from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the Health Department had thoroughly examined the unemployment issue and forwarded the relevant file to the Finance Department for serious consideration.
Separately, while addressing a written query tabled by MLA Shamim Firdous regarding healthcare infrastructure, the Health and Medical Education Department categorically rejected claims that 48 Dental Surgeon posts were lying vacant against a sanctioned strength of 62 at the Government Dental College and Hospital in Srinagar, clarifying that no such posts had been specifically sanctioned for the institution in the first place. The department emphasized that recruitment could only be undertaken against duly sanctioned vacancies and in accordance with strict administrative approvals. Additionally, the government defended its infrastructure development record at the premier dental institute, noting that considerable expansion and modernization projects have been actively undertaken since 2010 to meet the growing academic and clinical requirements. These continuous upgrades include the construction of new library and administrative blocks, the establishment of an effluent treatment plant, the installation of advanced fire-fighting and CCTV surveillance systems, and the comprehensive modernization of the Prosthodontics Department. Despite these infrastructure improvements, the staggering number of unemployed dental professionals continues to raise critical questions regarding the long-term human resource planning within the Union Territory’s healthcare sector.
Published by True Roots Media Network