Himachal Pradesh High Court seeks report on shortage of staff in Rohru hospital
Vijay Arora
Shimla, December 11
Expressing serious concern on the issue of shortage of medical staff in Rohru Hospital, the HP High Court today directed the Director Health Services to file a status report by December 19 explaining therein the dilatory tactics of the state in regard to filling of such vacancies.
Why the delay in filling posts?
We fail to understand why the process of filling 33 vacancies in the Civil Hospital, Rohru, should wait till March 2024, as it is not that illnesses will get postponed and nobody will fall ill till that time. — HP High Court
In the status report, it was stated that 13 posts out of 33 posts of staff nurses have to be filled from the waiting panel drawn up by the HP State Public Service Commission and the remaining 20 posts to be filled on batchwise basis.
After perusing the same, division bench comprising Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua observed that “the same statement had been made in the status report filed on October, 10, 2023, but in the intervening period of two months, nothing appears to have been done in the Health Department.”
Taking a tough stand on this issue, the court further observed that “We fail to understand why the process of filling up of 33 vacancies in the Civil Hospital, Rohru, should wait till March 2024, since it is not the case that illnesses will get postponed after March 2024, and nobody will fall ill in the intervening period.”
The court passed this order on a petition taken up suo moto by the court as Public Interest Litigation on the basis of a news item published in a newspaper regarding shortage of para-medical staff in Civil Hospital, Rohru.
It was reported in the news item stated that about 400-500 people visit Civil Hospital Rohru, everyday but due to paucity of para-medical staff, patients are constrained to wander for medication. The news item reported that out of 31 posts of nurses, 17 are lying vacant and likewise out of nine posts of pharmacists only three posts have been filled up. It was further reported, if someone goes on leave, the doctors have to discharge the duty of para-medical staff.
The people of the vicinity have apprised the local MLA about the situation but no action has been taken to fill up the vacant posts by the Health Department. There is resentment amongst the people.
