Only one emergency doctor for 7 lakh Sahnewal residents
The Community Health Centre (CHC) of Sahnewal is in a critical condition, currently relying on a single emergency medical officer, and that too on deputation, to serve a population of nearly 7 lakh people, including the town and surrounding villages. Successive government claims of delivering health and medical facilities at citizens’ doorsteps lie in stark contrast to this ground reality, as CHC’s wait for regular doctors get longer.
For over three years now, residents of Sahnewal and nearby villages have been suffering due to a severe shortage of doctors at the CHC. As a result, poor patients are left with no choice but to suffer in silence or spend thousands of rupees on private medical consultations. Out of five sanctioned posts for medical officers, only two are filled. For emergency medical officers, just one out of two positions is currently manned — and that officer is serving on deputation. The CHC has no general surgeon, physician, paediatrician, or orthopaedic specialist.
Patients and locals frequently voice their frustration over the government’s so-called “rationalisation” policy, under which much of the CHC’s medical staff has been transferred.
Though the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) and remaining staff claim to be managing patient care, the shortage is undeniable. Patients often face long waiting times or must return without being seen. The lone emergency medical officer is overburdened, trying to handle the heavy patient load alone. Of the two sanctioned EMO positions, one doctor is on medical leave while the other is deputed from Koom Kalan — leaving both official posts technically vacant.
“The ambulance, so essential for any hospital, is missing. Patients must rely on the 108 service, which often fails to arrive on time or is unavailable. There isn’t even a single sweeper at the CHC. The staff manages with daily wagers. This has been going on for years. Patients frequently return dissatisfied or sit helplessly for hours, watching their loved ones suffer,” shared Rajiv Kapila, a local resident.
