Staff crunch: Ultrasound centre’s working in Karnal hospital hit

Parveen Arora

Karnal, December 11

Amid the claims of the state government of providing better health facilities, the radio diagnostic centre at the district Civil Hospital is overburdened due to the shortage of manpower. Over 150 patients come for ultrasound and CT scans daily, but only 50 per cent of them are able to avail the facility.

Expensive scans at pvt facilities

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Expensive scans at private centres and no facility of radiologist at Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College are the main reasons behind the centre being overburdened.

The situation on the ground can be gauged from the fact that the patients or their attendants reserve their position in the queue by keeping a slip under a brick outside the centre even several hours before the opening of the centre. Some of the attendants keep the slips under bricks a day before to reserve their place. Even expecting mothers have to wait for two to three days for scans.

Squatting on the ground, patients or their attendants hold the OPD slips and desperately wait for their turn every day.

The Civil Hospital witnesses rush of around 2,500 patients daily at the OPD. Several patients, expecting mothers, emergency patients, prisoners and even admitted patients are recommended ultrasound or CT scans, but only 50-55 patients avail the facility of ultrasound and around 10 of CT scan, said an official.

The centre has only one radiologist and one sonologist to attend to the patients.