Civil Hospital engages pvt docs to bridge shortage of specialists
Under new arrangement, they will provide services from Mon to Sat for three hours a day
To address the shortage of specialist doctors in the government sector and with no new specialists coming forward to take up jobs in government service, the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, has devised a middle path by engaging private doctors.
The step is aimed at ensuring that patients continue to receive timely care despite the acute manpower crunch in several departments, including Medicine, Skin and Eye.
Dr Amanpreet Kaur, the lone medicine specialist who was imparting services at the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, was promoted as District Health and Family Welfare Officer last year and Dr Rohit Rampal from the Skin department was promoted as SMO, Mother and Child Hospital. Since then, the posts have been lying vacant.
The Civil Hospital currently caters to 1,200-1,800 patients daily, leading to long queues and delays in treatment. Under the new arrangement, private doctors will provide services from Monday to Saturday for three hours everyday.
Two doctors will be coming in general medicine OPD and one each in eye and skin OPDs. During this duty, they will examine patients, offer treatment and consultation and issue referrals when necessary.
Private doctors will be bound by departmental rules regarding duty hours, patient care and referral protocols. In cases requiring advanced treatment, patients may be referred to private hospitals. Officials clarified that this arrangement is temporary but crucial till regular government doctors are appointed.
Dr Akhil Sareen, Senior Medical Officer of the Civil Hospital, said the decision was taken to balance the rising patient inflow with limited manpower.
“Our priority is to ensure that no patient is denied timely treatment. By involving private doctors, we hope to reduce waiting times and improve the quality of care,” he added.
