Civil Hospital stares at acute staff shortage

Manmeet Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 21

The staff crunch at the Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial Civil Hospital is expected to deepen further as nine of the specialists at the institute would soon be leaving for senior residency at medical colleges.

At present, the medicine department of the hospital has only two specialists. Both have been chosen for the senior residency course. The services at the department will cripple if specialists are not hired or brought from other institutes.

The departments of chest, TB and orthopaedics too have one specialist each, but they too will leave soon for the residency course.

The eye department too has only two specialists and one of them has been selected for the senior residency course. The paediatric department have five sanctioned posts, out of which two are vacant. Of the remaining three, one will leave soon. The skin department too has one specialist who has been selected for the senior residency course. The hospital has 10 sanctioned posts of emergency medical officers (EMO), out of which six are lying vacant.

A hospital employee said the hospital staff were overburdened due to the shortage of manpower. The gynaecology department is one of the worst affected wings of the hospital due to staff shortage.

Rakesh Sharma, chairman, Employees’ Welfare Association, said, “We have already brought the issue into the notice of Health Minister and other senior officials. Appointments for all sanctioned and vacant posts should be made at the earliest.”

Civil Surgeon Dr Hardeep Singh Ghai said, “The issue has already been discussed with higher-ups. They have promised that alternative arrangements will be made soon. The specialists, who have already completed senior residency at medical colleges, will be available for appointment before the existing employees join their senior residency.”