17-year recruitment freeze leaves J&K’s 7,000 dental surgeons jobless
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By Mansoor Peer
- Comments 0
- 09 Apr 2026
1,000 candidates cross upper age limit for govt recruitment
Srinagar, Apr 09: In Jammu and Kashmir, 7,000 unemployed dental surgeons continue to face uncertainty due to the failure of the government to create posts for 17 straight years, amid a dearth of dentists across urban and rural hospitals.
The appointment of dental surgeons has been frozen in the Union Territory, as no dental surgeon post has been created by the J&K Public Services Commission due to policy neglect.
Dr Imtiyaz Mantoo, President of the Dental Surgeons Association J&K, told Rising Kashmir that the issue of unemployment among dental surgeons has turned into a major crisis due to prolonged government inaction and policy neglect. The last recruitment of dental surgeons in the UT was conducted in 2008. "Since then, a staggering 17-year gap has left more than 7,000 dental surgeons unemployed, with over 1,000 candidates now having crossed the upper age limit for government recruitment," he said.
A major concern is the long-pending proposal to create over 580 dental surgeon posts, with the file (HD/Plan/80/21-22) shuttling between the Directorate of Health Services and the Finance Department for nearly a decade without any final decision, prolonging unemployment among qualified dentists despite an acute shortage of dental professionals in hospitals.
Imtiyaz said that despite repeated assurances from the government, no tangible progress has been made. "Delegations of dental surgeons have met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah twice during the current tenure, along with multiple meetings with Health Minister Sakeena Itoo, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, and Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather.
Senior officials from the Health and Finance Departments have also been approached repeatedly," he said. However, dental surgeons allege that these interactions have yielded nothing beyond "hollow promises and assurances."
Imtiyaz said the issue gains further significance in light of commitments made by the ruling Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, which had promised time-bound recruitment of dental surgeons in its manifesto. He said the Chief Minister, in a post on X dated August 25, 2024, had assured that recruitment of dental surgeons would be taken up on a priority basis. "Yet, on the ground, no such action has materialised," he said.
Highlighting the human cost of the delay, the Association president said a student entering the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme at the age of 19 spends over eight years completing graduation and post-graduation.
"By the time they are fully qualified, they are often in their late twenties. With recruitment frozen for nearly two decades, many have now become ineligible due to age restrictions. Other departments continue to receive both creation of posts and referral of vacancies, but dentistry has faced a complete drought since 2008," he said.
Mantoo said they are fed up with fake assurances for over a decade. "Our time has been wasted, our careers have been destroyed, and our dreams shattered due to this prolonged recruitment freeze," he said.
The Association has urged the government to take immediate steps, including the creation and referral of posts, clearance of the pending file, and provision of a one-time age relaxation for candidates who have crossed the upper age limit during the 17-year gap.
The unemployed dental surgeons have asked the government to act before an entire generation of skilled professionals is lost, warning that continued delays could waste years of education, training, and expertise while further deepening gaps in the healthcare system.
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