Over 50% ANM posts vacant in Karnal district

Parveen Arora

Karnal, April 14

Though the state government claims to provide better health services in the government-run hospitals, the ground reality is different. Not only the government hospitals are facing acute shortage of doctors, but around 50 per cent posts of auxiliary nurse midwife (ANMs) are lying vacant across the district.

Those sacked can be adjusted

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The government had recruited staff nurses and paramedical staff during the Covid, but now from April 1, we have been removed. These staff members can be adjusted on the vacant posts on contract basis. Sacked staff nurse appointed during Covid pandemic

We have sent the requirement to the higher authorities and hopefully the posts will be filled soon. We are ensuring that patients are taken care of with the available staff members. Dr Yogesh Sharma, Civil Surgeon

As many as 163 posts of ANMs are sanctioned in the government hospitals, of them, only 79 are filled, while 84 are lying vacant. ANMs are mainly posted at PHCs, CHCs, and sub-centres for immunisation, family planning, maternal and child healthcare services along with implementation of other health-related national programme.

As per sources, due to the shortage of ANMs, the available staff members have to face difficulties in catering to the need of the beneficiaries.

Not only this, 147 posts of staff nurse out of 248 sanctioned, and 16 out of 25 posts of nursing sister are lying vacant in the district. Due to the shortage of nursing sister and staff nurse, patients are at the receiving end. The hospitals have to depend on limited staff and sometime they have to spend extra hours for the nursing care of patients, said an ANM.

A contractual staff nurse, who was appointed during Covid and now has been sacked with others, said the state government had recruited staff nurses and paramedical staff during the Covid pandemic, but now from April 1, they have been removed. These staff members can be adjusted on these vacant posts on contract basis, so that the patients care did not be suffer at the hospitals. Dr Yogesh Sharma, Civil Surgeon, said they had sent the requirement to the higher authorities and hopefully the posts would be filled soon. “We are ensuring that patients are taken care of with the available staff members,” said the Civil Surgeon.