Too many medical colleges, but where are the jobs? Young doctors in J&K say MBBS no longer guarantees jobs

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Ziraat Times
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Ziraat Times Team Report 

Srinagar: The long-held belief that pursuing an MBBS degree guarantees employment is fast fading in Jammu & Kashmir, as thousands of young doctors struggle to find even temporary contractual jobs after years of rigorous study.

Recently, around 1,200 MBBS graduates reportedly appeared for the Junior Resident (JR) recruitment exam at Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag in Kashmir for what are said to be less than 10 contractual posts.

“These are not permanent jobs, but one-year contracts. Yet the competition is in the thousands,” Mir Furqan, one aggrieved MBBS graduate told Ziraat Times.

Similar scenes are reported across J&K’s medical colleges, where the number of applicants for a handful of JR or Medical Officer posts runs into thousands. The disillusionment is spreading beyond J&K too, as opportunities for MBBS graduates remain scarce outside J&K too.

From “guaranteed jobs” to shrinking opportunities

Two decades ago, admission to a government medical college almost guaranteed a secure government job. That is no longer the case. Over the last 15 years, MBBS intake in J&K’s government colleges has risen fivefold — from about 250 seats to over 1,200 annually. Yet, the number of jobs has not kept pace.

“Every year, over 5,000 Kashmiri MBBS graduates enter the pool — including those trained abroad. But barely 100 Medical Officer (MO) posts are advertised annually, and even those are shared nationally, with the Reservation policy eating up to 60% of the jobs. In the end, more than 4,000 graduates get added each year to the pool of jobless doctors,” Amit Sharma,  doctor from Jammu city explained.

PG bottlenecks and hard  career paths

Adding to the crisis is the limited availability of postgraduate (PG) seats. “Not more than 20% of MBBS graduates will get into PG courses in the next three years. Even after completing MD/MS, there is no job security,” Farhana Javed, an MD aspirant added.

In J&K, the recent graduation ceremonies at newly-established GMCs were marked by celebration, but questions loom large about the career prospects of those young doctors.

The cost of studying abroad

Many now question the rationale of pursuing MBBS abroad, calling it “totally not worth it.” Each year, thousands of Kashmiri students spend ₹40–50 lakh abroad, only to return and struggle with FMGE recognition exams and job scarcity, many believe.

“For boys especially, who must shoulder family responsibilities, it is a hard reality: without assured jobs, investing half a decade and such huge money in MBBS abroad can be an imprudent gamble,” said Tabish Khan, another doctor who has studied abroad and is back home now.

Time for policy rethink?

The growing mismatch between MBBS admissions and job creation is pushing several young doctors into despair. Experts say that unless the government aligns medical education intake with systemic employment planning, the situation could worsen.

For now, young doctors are sending out a stark warning to aspirants: “Think ten times before celebrating NEET qualification or even admission into GMC Srinagar or SKIMS. The ground realities have changed.”

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