No doc on duty, long wait for expectant mothers

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 21

Hundreds of pregnant women were left high and dry at Mother and Child Hospital during morning hours as not even a single gynaecologist turned up for duty on Monday.

After waiting for two and a half hours, as the clamour started building up in the gynaecology OPD waiting area that was packed to its capacity, officials of the Health Department managed to arrange one doctor at the OPD.

Later, queued up outside the OPD, a group of pregnant women decried the ‘irresponsible’ attitude of the department.

They said while the OPD time starts at 8 am, not even a single doctor was there to attend them till 10:30 am.

Due to lack of space and seating arrangement, a few women who could not stand for long had to sit on the floor.

Gursharan Kaur, an attendant with one of the pregnant women, said, “It is really shocking that there are no doctors at the hospital in the morning. We have travelled for more than 30 km in the early morning from Maisar Khana to Bathinda city. We reached here around 7:30 am but it is 11:00 am and doctor has yet to see the patient. Moreover, the OPD waiting room is congested and has no proper ventilation system. It is difficult to stand and wait.”

Another woman who had been waiting in the queue had almost fainted had her attendant not offered her water on time and made her sit on a chair.

Sukhjinder Singh Gill, Senior Medical Officer, Mother and Child Hospital, said, “There are four doctors in the gynaecology unit. Two of them are on leave. One doctor was on emergency duty a day earlier. So we had to call up the fourth doctor to come to the hospital on Monday.”

Sources said the prime reason behind the problem is the shortage of doctors at the unit that affects services.

Mother and Child Hospital, a unit of the Civil Hospital, attends more than 200 patients on daily basis.

Besides, the gynaecologists here conduct more than 400 deliveries every month.

Owing to acute shortage of staff in the labour unit of the hospital, three gynaecologists are made to work either beyond their shift timings or be available for on call duty 24 hours a day.

Things tend to get unmanageable when a doctor is heading for a leave or has to attend training sessions outside the city.