Delay in Rotational Headship Policy Draws Concern in Kashmir’s Medical Colleges

SRINAGAR, JUNE 28 – A year after the Jammu and Kashmir government issued a landmark order mandating rotational headship in Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), the policy remains unimplemented, prompting frustration among faculty and calls for urgent administrative intervention.

The Health and Medical Education Department had issued Order No. 527-JK(HME) of 2023 on June 22, 2023, directing all GMCs in the Union Territory to adopt a two-year rotational tenure system for Heads of Departments. The policy was intended to promote equity, transparency, and access to leadership roles for all eligible senior professors. It was widely welcomed by the medical community, which viewed it as a progressive step aligned with long-standing national academic norms.

In line with the order, further department-specific directives were subsequently issued. On June 26, 2023, the Departments of Surgery and Radiodiagnosis were brought under the rotational mechanism through Order No. 173-45. The Departments of Microbiology and Ophthalmology at GMC Srinagar were covered under Order No. 202-45 of 2023 dated August 2, 2023. A separate promotion order for the Microbiology department—Order No. 547—was issued on July 6, 2023. Similarly, the Department of Biochemistry at GMC Jammu was addressed through Order No. GMC/23/809 on August 22, 2023.

Despite the sequence of formal instructions and a scheduled implementation date of June 23, 2025, the policy has not been acted upon by the Principals of the concerned medical colleges. Faculty members say this unexplained delay undermines both the intent and authority of the government order.

A senior professor at GMC Srinagar, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the delay was deeply demoralising for the teaching community. “This policy was designed to bring fairness and rejuvenation to academic leadership. The fact that it remains stuck at the level of college administration sends a poor message,” he said.

Similar views were expressed in Jammu, where members of the medical fraternity have urged the authorities to enforce the policy without further delay. “Rotational headship is not just a procedural matter; it reflects the institutional will to be inclusive, accountable, and forward-looking,” said a faculty member at GMC Jammu.

The concerned stakeholders have now appealed to the Health and Medical Education Department to intervene and ensure that the order is implemented in letter and spirit. With less than a week left until the scheduled rollout date, they warn that further inaction could erode trust in governance mechanisms within the healthcare education sector of Jammu and Kashmir.