PGI under strain: Staff crunch ails PGI, rising patient rush adds to trouble

Naina Mishra

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Chandigarh, July 16

Healthcare facilities at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here are facing significant challenges due to an acute shortage of faculty members in various departments.

Inadequate staffing in the departments of anaesthesia, endocrinology, gastroenterology and gynaecology has been hindering patient care for a long time. These departments have requested for the creation of posts of assistant professor to manage the rush.

The Department of Anaesthesia, responsible for patient care at more than 72 locations, is operating with a faculty strength of 68, which falls short of the required staff of 106 doctors. This deficit has resulted in an overwhelming workload for the existing staff. To address this issue, additional 38 faculty members have been requested by the department to ensure a smooth functioning of the department.

The Department of Endocrinology is grappling with a similar shortage, particularly with respect to assistant professors. Approximately, 10,000 – 12,000 patients register at the endocrine clinic per month and the number is continuously increasing. The exponential rise in the number of patients visiting the OPD has increased from 4,000-5,000 per month in year 2000 to 10,000-12,000 per month in 2019. Besides, in the past five years, the number of investigations at its laboratory has risen from 13,000 to 30,000 per month.

The current workforce of eight faculty members is unable to meet the growing demands of the increasing patients. The department has requested for the creation of eight additional positions of assistant professor.

The Gastroenterology Department is also facing challenges due to a surge in patient numbers and the complexity of procedures. Outpatient visits have risen from 8,640 in 1996 to a staggering 57,287 in 2019. The introduction of advanced services and interventions, such as magnification endoscopy and complex stent placements, has further increased the workload for the faculty.

The Gynaecology Department has witnessed a significant increase in patient visits, deliveries and major surgeries over the past decade. Outpatient visits have risen by 44%, while the number of deliveries and major surgeries have seen 16% and 28% increase, respectively. The surge in patient numbers necessitates a corresponding increase in faculty members to provide timely and comprehensive care to all patients.

The busiest wing of the PGI, Advanced Trauma Centre, is overloaded and what they need are assistant professors from the orthopaedics department, especially for the ATC, to manage the workload and improve patient-doctor ratio. Around 20 polytrauma patients are admitted to the wing on an average, for which there is a trauma team comprising four assistant professors, 15 junior residents and 10 senior residents who work as per round-the-clock roster. This team is so overworked that its members work at a capacity of 300 per cent.

32 depts seek 182 more assistant professors

A total of 32 departments have requested for the creation of 182 posts of assistant professor to manage the rush. The agenda was tabled at a meeting of the Standing Academic Committee held this year, but could not be discussed as the proposal was not received in time. It will now be taken up in the next meeting.

Outpatient visits on the rise

• Number of visitors to the endocrine OPD has increased from 4,000-5,000 per month in 2000 to 10,000-12,000 in 2019
• Outpatient visits in Gastroenterology Department have risen from 8,640 in 1996 to a staggering 57,287 in 2019
• Outpatient visits in Gynaecology Department have risen by 44%, while the number of deliveries and major surgeries have seen 16% and 28% increase, respectively.
• Anaesthesia Department, which has a faculty strength of 68, falls short of 106 doctors