More than 100 technicians 'jobless', machines biting dust in hospitals

Jammu: What an irony! The machines are biting dust in various hospitals across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir due to shortage of technical staff but contrary to that more than 100 technicians are 'jobless' who have completed professional diplomas in the past four years.

Due to the shortage of skilled technicians, the machinery especially ventilators are either biting dust or lying defunct across various government run hospitals under the Department of Health and Medical Education.

Sources told ‘The News Now’ that there is no dearth of trained technicians in the J&K UT and in the past four years, more than 100 aspirants have completed their professional diploma and they are capable of handling these equipment.

“The government must engage these jobless technicians as it is need of the hour in this time of crisis when we are facing COVID-pandemic situation,” they maintained and appealed that the employment should be made on regular basis instead of appointing these technicians on contract.

They also rued neglect of these technicians at two DRDO hospitals dedicated for COVID patients in Jammu and Srinagar regions.

Sources further said that to meet the shortage of Anesthesia Technicians in the ICUs in Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2014, a two-year diploma course was started in all AMT schools and the first batch passed out in the year 2017.

“Since then, three more batches have passed out with professional studies and more than 100 aspirants were trained as Anesthesia Technicians but only few have been engaged so far as permanent employees,” sources asserted.

“Some of the technicians were absorbed on contract in various Government Medical Colleges including Jammu and few under the National Health Mission but they were disengaged later,” sources said.

They claimed that the Health Department has very few technicians at present and in view of that the DRDO hospitals reportedly do not have trained staff to handle the ventilators and other machinery, adding, “the B.Sc Nursing staff and pharmacists are allegedly being trained to operate these hi-tech and sensitive machinery.”

They said that 47 posts of Anesthesia Technician were created for DRDO Hospital, Jammu but none appointment has been made so far and the recruitment process is yet to begin.

“The DRDO hospital in Srinagar which was made functional after Jammu, have engaged the trained staff and installed the machinery at the earliest,” they maintained

Fear looms large among the Health Department of already engaged technicians under NHM on contract may quit to get absorbed in DRDO hospital due to the perks being paid, which are much higher than paid to them on contract and this might be the reason, the department is adopting dilly-dally tactics in advertising the posts.
Updated On 6/13/2021 11:21:39 AM