Staff shortage ails Yamunanagar hospital

Shiv Kumar Sharma

An acute shortage of doctors and other staff has badly affected the functioning at Mukand Lal Civil (MLC) Hospital, Yamunanagar.

Patients feel harassed, as they have to wait for a long period for their turn and several of them have to return home without the doctor attending to them. Posts of specialists in several departments are also lying vacant. The shortage of staff is also affecting the working of doctors. A doctor is forced to attend to 200 to 250 patients every day, thus increasing their stress level and affecting the quality of service.

The hospital, which is visited by around 1,500 outpatients (more than 125 patients are admitted) every day, has 30 medical officers against the sanctioned strength of 42.

The posts of skin specialist, senior dental surgeon, dental surgeon, nursing sister, senior lab technician, dental assistant-cum-mechanics and other staff members are lying vacant. “I am suffering from a skin problem. When I came to the hospital a staff member told me that there is no skin specialist there,” says Rajni, a resident of Sarasvati Colony, Jagadhri.

She says that she cannot afford treatment at a private hospital due to her poor financial condition.

Another patient Geeta Rani says that she came to the dental department in the hospital but was shocked to know that there is no dental surgeon there. 

 “Mukand Lal Civil Hospital is a district-level hospital. The sanctioned staff strength, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab technicians, clerks, and Class IV, of the hospital is 172, but only 121 staff members are available,” says a doctor.

Similarly, the hospital has only one radiographer against five posts. Besides patients of the hospital, X-rays of patients from trauma centres are also done here. 

A medical officer says that patients have to approach private hospitals when they don't get treatment at government hospitals due to a shortage of specialists.

Dr Vijay Dahiya, Medical Superintendent, says that though there is a shortage of doctors and other staff members in the hospital, they are making the best possible efforts to treat patients. People have urged the government to provide better health services at its health centres.

“Since government hospitals cater largely to the poor and the needy, vacancies must be filled at the earliest and specialists made available at all hospitals,” says Narsingh Pal, a social worker and Congress leader.

There is a district hospital at Yamunanagar, a sub-district hospital at Jagadhri, seven community health centres and 15 primary health centres. All these health centres are facing a staff crunch.

Around 79 of 153 sanctioned posts of medical officer are lying vacant. Similarly, 78 of 124 posts of staff nurse are vacant. “We need three physicians, four orthopaedics, 13 radiographers and 41 lab technicians in the district, but we have one physician, one orthopaedic doctor, two radiographers and 19 lab technicians at present,” says Dr Kuldeep Singh, Civil Surgeon, Yamunanagar.

He says that to address the problem of staff shortage, paramedical staff will be soon outsourced. He adds that seven doctors have been absent from duty for long.

“The higher authorities are aware of the issue of staff shortage and efforts are being made to hire doctors,” says Dr Kuldeep.