Karnal: Two months on, KCGMC without neurosurgeon

Parveen Arora

Karnal, June 9

For the past two months, the Neurology Department of Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) is functioning without a surgeon. It has only one sanctioned post of Assistant Professor for neurosurgery, but it is lying vacant after the previous doctor resigned from the post. The department does not have any sanctioned post of a neurologist. In the absence of specialists, critical care patients with head injuries are referred to other hospitals.

Unit being used by other depts

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A 15-bed neurology unit is being used by other departments. All critical care patients are checked by a general surgeon. If the surgeon felt that he could handle patient easily, then the patient was admitted, otherwise he/she was referred to another hospital, sources said.

As per sources in the KCGMC, the medical college was planned in the city keeping in mind the location of Karnal on the national highway and number of accidents on it, so that victims would get treatment at the right time.

On an average, the emergency section of the medical college receives five to six accident cases daily, out of them, one or two are related to head injuries, the sources claimed. At the time of the inauguration of the hospital and OPD building of the college on April 13, 2017, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had claimed that with the starting of the KCGMC, patients would get better health facilities.

Request sent to govt for new appointment

We have sent a request to the government to appoint a neurosurgeon so that all neurosurgery patients can be handled immediately. Dr Jagdish Dureja, Director, KCGMC

The neurosurgeon resigned from his post and his resignation was also accepted around two-month ago, after which no new incumbent had joined the department so far.

Former Congress MLA Sumita Singh demanded that the government should fill all vacant posts of specialists. Sumita said without specialists, the medical college had turned into a referral centre. Sumita said, “Patients with head injuries have to spend money at private hospitals in the absence of a neurosurgeon at the college.”

Dr Jagdish Dureja, Director, KCGMC, said the neurosurgeon had resigned and his resignation was accepted two months ago. After he left, nobody had joined the department. “We have sent a request to the government to appoint a neurosurgeon so that all neurosurgery patients can be handled immediately,” said Dr Dureja.