Omission of AP Pathology posts exposes flawed vacancy assessment, age-bar fears haunt aspirants
TAUSEEF AHMAD
SRINAGAR, Jan 1: The latest recruitment notification issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) for faculty positions in Government Medical Colleges has sparked serious outrage within the medical fraternity, with aspiring doctors accusing the Commission of issuing a poorly planned and incomplete advertisement that threatens to derail their careers. The controversy centres on the glaring omission of vacant Assistant Professor posts in the Department of Pathology at Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla, despite the department having sanctioned vacancies.
Through Notification No. 19-PSC (DR-P) of 2025 dated December 31, 2025, the PSC invited online applications for Assistant Professor posts in selected specialties for GMCs Anantnag and Baramulla. However, official records from GMC Baramulla reveal that while the Department of Pathology has two sanctioned vacant posts of Assistant Professor, not a single post from the department was advertised. The lapse prompted the Department of Pathology to formally write to the Principal of GMC Baramulla, urging intervention so that the vacant posts are taken up with the concerned authorities and advertised without delay.
The omission has triggered deep anxiety among doctors aspiring for academic positions, particularly in Pathology, who say years of training and mandatory teaching experience now risk going to waste due to what they describe as administrative negligence. Several aspirants, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the timing of the advertisement has made the situation even more distressing as many of them are on the verge of crossing the upper age limit prescribed under the recruitment rules.
“We have waited patiently for this advertisement, completed all eligibility requirements, and structured our careers around these recruitment cycles. Now, when the notification finally comes, our department is missing altogether. For some of us, this is the last chance before we hit the age bar,” an aspirant doctor said.
The doctors allege that the PSC appears to have issued the notification without first obtaining updated staff strength and vacancy positions from all departments of the concerned medical colleges. They argue that such an approach has resulted in a selective and fragmented advertisement, undermining both transparency and fairness in the recruitment process.
“This is not merely an oversight; it reflects a systemic failure. Without verifying sanctioned strength department-wise, how can any recruitment exercise be considered credible? Today it is Pathology, tomorrow it could be any other department,” another aspirant remarked.
The anxiety is compounded by the fact that eligibility, including age, is being reckoned as on January 1, 2025, as clearly stated in the notification. Aspirants warn that if the posts are advertised later, many eligible candidates will automatically be excluded, effectively ending their chances of entering academics in government medical colleges.
Medical professionals have cautioned that beyond individual careers, such lapses could further weaken already understaffed departments in government medical colleges, directly impacting teaching standards and diagnostic services. They are demanding immediate corrective measures, including the issuance of a corrigendum after a comprehensive verification of staff strength across all GMC departments.
Aspirants have also sought age relaxation for candidates affected by administrative delays, warning that failure to address the issue could force them to seek legal recourse. “We are being made to pay the price for mistakes that are not ours. Silence on this issue will only deepen the sense of injustice,” one doctor said.
The episode has once again brought into sharp focus the lack of coordination between the Health and Medical Education Department and the Public Service Commission. As uncertainty looms large, dozens of highly qualified doctors remain trapped in limbo, hoping that the authorities act swiftly before procedural lapses permanently shut the doors on their academic aspirations.
