Health Minister visits Malerkotla Civil Hospital

Our Correspondent

Mandi Ahmedgarh, Nov 28

Patients visiting the Malerkotla Civil Hospital see a ray of hope in the visit by Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, who announced that the healthcare centre would be linked with the District Residency Programme, and also gave an assurance that vacant posts of doctors and paramedical staff would be filled.

When implemented, the programme would enable patients to receive better services while postgraduate students of medicine would get an opportunity to enhance practical experience in their fields.

Patients of localities falling under Ahmedgarh, Amargarh and Malerkotla, dependent on the Malerkotla Civil Hospital for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, have been suffering in the absence of quality medical care for several decades. However, the state of care available at the hospital can be gauged from the fact there it does not have a gynaecologist, radiologist and emergency medical officer, while the anaesthetist has been absent from duty since August 21, 2023.

Staff shortage, frequent transfer of doctors and inadequate facilities are some of the major factors behind the poor reputation of the apex healthcare centre of the district. Emergencies, including medico-legal cases from primary health centres and community health centres, are referred to this centre for certain advanced medical procedures.

Led by certain social and political outfits, residents had launched an agitation to impress upon the government to fill vacant posts of doctors and paramedical staff, and three doctors were deployed here recently.

During a recent visit by Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, legislator Rehman apprised him about problems being faced by the patients. Assuring the gathering that more doctors and paramedical staff would soon be deployed at the hospital, Dr Balbir Singh announced that the hospital would be linked to the District Residency Programme, under which postgraduate students of medicine would be posted there as resident doctors. "Besides providing an opportunity to MD students to enhance their skills and practical experience, this will also solve problems related to staff shortage," said Dr Balbir Singh.

A perusal of the hospital records revealed that it has not been upgraded to District Hospital yet and the shortage of medical officers and paramedical staff is a major problem.

Apart from the absence of specialists, the hospital has only 16 medical officers against a sanctioned strength of 27, while 15 nurses are filling for 32 sanctioned posts. Four out of seven posts of medical lab technician are vacant and 12 ward attendants are available against a sanctioned strength of 25.

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