Staff crunch leaves patients at receiving end in Mohali hospital

Pavneet Singh Chadha

Tribune News Service

Mohali, February 18

The Civil Hospital in Phase VI, Mohali, is struggling to manage the rush of patients due to staff crunch. With several posts lying vacant, patients visiting the hospital have to queue up for hours for medicine and treatment.

Dr Manjit Singh, Senior Medical Officer (SMO), at the Civil Hospital, Mohali, said, “We need more staff, especially in the orthopaedic department and the emergency. Due to a shortage of staff, doctors do the administration work too. We are compared to the PGI in Chandigarh and the Civil hospital in Panchkula, but their staff strength is more as compared with us.”

Patients are referred to other hospitals for even basic tests such as MRI and CT scan.  Over 600 patients visit the OPD at the Civil Hospital daily.

Huge rush is witnessed at the medicine OPD with patients outside jostling for space and turn. Patients said timings of the OPD should be changed since it currently closes at 3 pm and some patients leave unattended.

At the 50-bedded maternity block, inaugurated in December 2015, expectant mothers stand in queues outside the OPD of the maternity block. 

The attendant at the OPD said the footfall at the hospital was high with over 250-300 patients visiting the facility daily.

“We have a token system. But patients refuse to sit and wait for their turn. Some men also enter the ward, which is prohibited,” said an attendant.

A microbiologist at the hospital said there was a shortage of laboratory technicians. 

“In addition to collecting samples, we have to file daily reports, which is cumbersome and time-consuming,” she said.