The Health and Medical Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir has referred 480 posts of Medical Officers to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Commission (JKPSC) for direct recruitment, marking a major step towards strengthening healthcare services in the Union Territory.According to an official communication issued from the Civil Secretariat on Tuesday, the referral has been made under the Jammu and Kashmir Health and Family Welfare (Gazetted) Service Rules, SRO 325 of 2013, and the requisite documents have been forwarded to JKPSC to initiate the recruitment process.

The category-wise breakup of the referred posts includes 192 posts under Open Merit, 38 under Scheduled Caste, 48 each under Scheduled Tribe One, Scheduled Tribe Two and Backward Area, 39 posts under Other Backward Classes, 48 under Economically Weaker Sections, and 19 posts under ALC IB.

The department has also asked JKPSC to incorporate specific conditions in the recruitment advertisement to avoid future legal complications. As per these conditions, candidates selected as Medical Officers will not be allowed to continue postgraduate studies or tenure positions such as Senior Residency, Registrarship or Demonstratorship after selection. However, candidates will be provided a one-time option to either accept the Medical Officer appointment or continue with their ongoing postgraduate or tenure engagement.

Further, the department has made it clear that all selected Medical Officers will be required to serve mandatorily in peripheral and far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir, in line with the government’s policy to ensure equitable healthcare delivery across the Union Territory.