JAMMU: The Health and Medical Education Department has constituted a task force for the establishment of a Public Health Management Cadre in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to an official order, the Administrative Secretary of the H&ME Department will serve as the chairperson of the committee.
The committee will include key members such as the Mission Director of the National Health Mission (NHM) J&K as Member Secretary, Director Coordination of New Medical Colleges, Directors of Health Services in Kashmir and Jammu, and the Director of AYUSH, J&K. Notably, Public Health Expert Dr Himanshu Bhushan will serve as the Ex-officio member of the task force.
The specified terms of reference for the task force are to develop a comprehensive strategy aligning the positions of the existing health workforce (regular/contractual) in the UT with those specified in the PHMC guidance note and to ensure the implementation of appropriate career progression measures for all health workers, encompassing time-bound promotions, assured promotions, and ACP (Assured Career Progression) schemes.
The task force is also mandated to formulate a plan to facilitate career mobility and create provisions for the exchange of personnel between different services within the cadre. It has to establish and maintain a centralised repository of data related to the recruitment mechanism, sanctioned positions, workforce distribution, vacancies in different cadres, pay grades, and promotion criteria.
It is also tasked with developing comprehensive HR and training policies, along with a roadmap for providing public health training to in-service candidates, the order states. (KNO)
