No anaesthetist at Theog Civil Hospital, residents gherao Health Director's office

Shimla, April 21

Upset with the absence of an anaesthetist and other specialist doctors at Civil Hospital, Theog, local residents, led by their MLA Rakesh Singha, stormed the office of the Health Services Director today. They demanded immediate appointment of an anaesthetist.

“We have been requesting all officials concerned about the immediate requirement of an anaesthetist at the hospital for the last month but to no avail. No surgeries are taking place at the hospital and people are suffering. We were forced to gherao the office of the Director,” said Singha.

He further said an anaesthetist had been transferred to the Theog hospital from the district hospital in Reckong Peo, but the doctor has not joined. “He has proceeded on a medical leave. Until he’s back, we need a substitute so that surgeries could resume at the hospital,” said Singha.

The Health Additional Director said a temporary arrangement for making an anaesthetist available had been made. “On every Saturday and Tuesday, an anaesthetists from Rohru Civil Hospital will be available in Theog on rotation basis till the doctor transferred here joins the duty,” he said.

The protesters said Theog hospital caters to a large population from upper Shimla. “Apart from the absence of an anaesthetist, which has made the hospital non-functional as far as surgeries are concerned, the hospital doesn’t have specialists for medicine, orthopaedics, radiology, etc.” said Sandeep Verma, a local resident