Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President Altaf Bukhari on Thursday urged Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu to fast-track the recruitment process of doctors and paramedics in Jammu and Kashmir, in view of coronavirus pandemic. Bukhari said the situation that has arisen owing to coronavirus outbreak has overburdened medical fraternity of J&K, and emergency recruitment of medicos was need of the hour. “To fight this deadly disease, we need to have sound healthcare system and manpower. When the healthcare system is already running on crunches, the safety of our people is on stake,” he said. Bukhari said the administration needs to rise to the occasion and immediately hire technical assistants, nurses, medical officers, theater assistants, X-ray and laboratory technicians and F/MPHWs on priority basis. “We are in a war like situation and we need to fight it together. But doctors and paramedics are fighting this disease on ground. We need to support them and provide them all the necessary help and manpower,” Bukhari said. He said shortage of doctors has badly affected healthcare and the fight against Covid-19. Expressing concern over coronavirus pandemic, Bukhari said in these testing times, people need to cooperate with administration and stay home. “Number of Covid-19 patient is increasing day by day. We all as a responsible citizen need to stay home and cooperate with the administration,” he said. Bukhari said hospitals were grappling with shortage of ventilators, mask and protective gears amid coronavirus threat. “The hospitals are facing shortage of essential medical kits to detect coronavirus. Administration needs to take more provocative steps to make these things available in hospitals,” he said. He also expressed grief over the demise of an elderly person from Hyderpora Srinagar, who became the first victim of Covid-19 in Kashmir.
