Sakeena Itoo reviews recruitment process of various departments, SKIMS 

SRINAGAR : Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo on Wednesday chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the recruitment process undertaken by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) in various departments like Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare , Education departments and Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura.

The meeting was attended by Chairman, JKSSB, Vikas Kundal; Secretary JKSSB, Khurshid Ahmad Sanai; Additional Director SKIMS, Zahoor Ahmad Mir; Controller of Examinations JKSSB, Director Finance, Health and Medical Education department, representatives of various departments and other officers.

During the meeting, the Minister conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the progress made in filling vacancies of different categories in various departments. The review meeting also focused on expediting transparent, merit-based recruitment to address critical manpower requirements across healthcare institutions and allied departments.

Addressing the officers, the Minister emphasized on the government’s commitment towards ensuring efficiency, accountability and fairness in the selection process. She stressed on maintaining transparency and adhering to timelines during the recruitment process.

The Minister directed the concerned authorities to accelerate the recruitment process, particularly in Health and Education departments as well as SKIMS. She also stressed on maintaining coordination between the departments and recruiting agency to ensure vacant positions are filled promptly and selected candidates are deployed without unnecessary delays.

“Human resource, particularly in Health department, is vital for improving healthcare access and outcomes, particularly in underserved and remote areas”, Sakeena said.

Emphasizing on the importance of timely recruitment, Sakeena Itoo directed the concerned authorities to expedite the ongoing selection processes while strictly adhering to merit, transparency, and fairness. She expressed satisfaction over the pace of recruitment and stressed that there should be no complacency in meeting future targets.

Highlighting the government’s commitment to strengthening the healthcare system, Sakeena Itoo reiterated that filling vacant posts remains a top priority. She added that the government is focused on enhancing institutional capacity and ensuring that healthcare facilities and other departments are adequately staffed to meet growing public demand.

Regarding SKIMS Soura, the Minister directed the Additional Director to maintain constant coordination with JKSSB administration so that the recruitment process of pending posts is finalized timely. She highlighted that SKIMS is a premiere health institution and the government is determined to ensure sufficient manpower in it for constant service delivery of public.

While reviewing various aspects of JKSSB related to recruitment processes, Sakeena Itoo asked the JKSSB administration to explore the possibilities of reducing the application fee for the advertised posts. She directed them to study the fee structure of Government recruiting agencies of other States and UTs, and examine the growing demand of candidates calling for reduction in application fees.

During the meeting, Chairman JKSSB briefed the Minister on department-wise recruitment status, upcoming examinations and measures being implemented to streamline the selection process.

He informed the meeting that that 5789 selections have been finalized in different departments over the past 18 months, marking a major milestone of the Omar Abdullah led Government in streamlining recruitment in Government departments and reducing vacancies in key sectors. He added that these selections span multiple categories, including technical, paramedical, administrative, and support staff roles in health and medical education department, besides other critical posts in education, and other departments, bolstering service delivery capabilities at the grassroots level.

The Chairman also informed the meeting that more than 700 JE selections were finalized in last month, marking a major achievement of Government to boost vital sectors.

He also assured the Minister that selections for more than 150 posts in Health and Medical Education department will be finalised within one and half month.

The Chairman also informed the Minister that around 12997 posts are available with the JKSSB with 6109 un-advertised, 6170 at examination level and 373 at selection stage.