JAMMU: The unemployed dental surgeons continued their protest at Amphalla Chowk on 18th day on Thursday, demanding creation of fresh posts for dental surgeons in Government Hospitals across J&K and their absorption through JKPSC.The protesting youth said that they have been loafing with wild thoughts of fear and stress, being broke and penurious over their poor future job prospects. “Our employment woes have not been addressed since 2008 when Government last officially advertised posts for inducement of dental surgeons in Health Department. Since then thousands of dental surgeons are hopeless and jobless. The reason for this unemployment clearly follows a mismatch between supply and demand in health sector,” they added.The unemployed dental surgeons said that they gave representation to the authorities time to time but nothing has been done till date for their welfare. “Two years back with the help of Governor Satyapal Malik and his Advisor Vijay Kumar, we were finally able to put our demands rightly and officers were told to work on creating new posts for dental surgeons in the State but that file is gathering dust in Finance Department for last three years,” they added.They demanded the Government to increasing job avenues and opportunities for dental surgeons in rural areas as per the intake capacity with the help of various schemes under NRHM like NOHP RBSK, Ayushman Bharat and School Dental Health Program, increase sanctioned posts and new plans for dental graduates in PHCs, NTPHCs, CHCs and Sub-centres, and start public-private partnership with help of EDI to grow entrepreneurship and to start a good reputed dental clinic in the UT.Slamming the Jammu and Kashmir Government for neglecting the professionals, the protesting dental doctors said, “If the Government cannot provide jobs to the educated youths then it should close the colleges”.
