Chandigarh Health Dept to prepare panel of radiologists, anaesthetists

Naina Mishra

Chandigarh, April 23

The Department of Health and Family Welfare will come out with a public notice this week to invite applications from qualified radiologists and anaesthetists to prepare a panel. The move comes in response to a shortage of regular radiologists and anaesthetists at various civil hospitals and medical institutions in Chandigarh.

The public notice will include information about setting up ultrasound facility in public private partnership (PPP) mode. Additionally, the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, is currently processing a proposal for MRI facility in PPP mode, which is expected to be submitted within 15 days.

The shortage of qualified professionals such as radiologists and anaesthetists has been a longstanding issue in the healthcare sector in UT. This has resulted in lack of access to necessary medical procedures and tests for patients, causing inconvenience and delay in treatment.

Under the Janani Suraksha Yojana, pregnant women registered with the Department of Health are entitled to two free ultrasounds and a Level-2 ultrasound to rule out any congenital malformations. However, due to lack of regular radiologists, ultrasound machines at several medical institutions are lying idle, causing inconvenience to patients.

Similarly, the shortage of anaesthetists has led to deferment of many non-emergency surgeries at the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, and during VIP visits, even existing arrangements are affected. The department has proposed hiring of qualified professionals on a case-by-case payment basis, similar to the system in place in Punjab and Haryana, where empanelled radiologists and anaesthetists are paid a fixed rate for the number of cases and tests performed. They may be paid honorariums of Rs 1,500 for major surgeries and Rs 700 for minor ones.

The proposal has been approved on an experimental basis for one year, and a committee chaired by the DHS and comprising the Medical Superintendent of GMSH-16, the head of the radiology department, and the head of the anaesthesiology department will examine the applications.

The honorariums proposed for ultrasounds and surgeries will be cross-checked with those in Punjab and Haryana, and the lowest one will be indicated in the public notice to ensure transparency and fairness in the empanelment process.

The move has been welcomed by patients, who had to face long waiting periods for medical tests and surgeries due to the shortage of qualified professionals.

The PPP model for MRI at the GMSH-16 has been praised for reducing waiting periods, and the Accountant General (Central), UT Chandigarh, has suggested that the UT should rope in private facilities and doctors to further reduce the periods for medical tests and scanning.