By: Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar: The unemployed dental surgeons on Monday staged protest in Srinagar and demanded creation of posts.
Dental surgeons have been protesting in Jammu and other parts of the UT for the last one month demanding creation of posts after completing their education.
The dental surgeons under the banner of Dental Surgeon Association of J&K stage protested outside dental college Srinagar and demanded intervention of LG in this regard.
“Since 2008, no recruitment for dental surgeons has been held despite the fact that there are hundreds of vacancies in the department, ” Zameer Ahmad, a dental surgeon degree holder, said.
He said that they are going through trauma as despite having spent lakhs of rupees and pursuing degrees for years together, over 7000 dental surgeons are jobless and there is not a single word from the government.
“Mere an excuse of shortage of funds, the department has failed to advertise dental surgeon posts for the last 13 years. Thousands of youth have completed their degrees but have to beg literally to the government to create posts,” he said.
Dental surgeons said in earlier recruitments, only Ayush degree holders (BUMS, BHMS) were selected after giving them dental training of six months which is also “sheer injustice” with them.
They said that the government must create posts at PHCs, NTPHCs, CHCs and sub- centres so that the deserving people will get the job.
Pertinently LG Governor Manoj Sinha recently said that the government is going to provide financial assistance to 400 dental surgeons and 800 paramedics to facilitate them in starting their own clinics.
However, dental surgeons said that they want jobs, not financial assistance.
“We want justice. We want jobs, not any kind of financial assistance. Setting up a dental clinic is not an option, this is highly unacceptable and we want recruitment, said Sabita Sambyal, another dental surgeon degree holder.
“Financial assistance is unacceptable. After 13 years, the government still has no job policy for us”, said Javaid Ahmad, another dental surgeon degree holder.
Dental surgeons requested the government to look into the matter at an earliest and create posts for them. (KNO)
