Staff shortage plagues Mandi Ahmedgarh's Primary Health Centre, impacts patient care

Healthcare personnel at the 30-bed primary health centre (PHC) here are struggling to stand true to the expectations of patients of the town and surrounding villages. Acute staff shortages and frequent transfers of doctors are the major factors behind the predicament of the staff of the region’s lone government healthcare centre. Although residents had been given assurances by Amargarh MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra that these issues would be sorted after the AAP government came to power three years ago, key posts of doctors and paramedical staff are yet to be filled. Municipal Council president Vikas Krishan Sharma acknowledged the delay in resolving the issues related to the alleged poor functioning of the healthcare centre and claimed that Gajjan Majra had already taken up the issue with the health minister.

Advertisement

“Gajjan Majra has already taken up the issue with the health minister, while the authorities concerned have been asked to ensure that patients visiting the centre for diagnosis and treatment are not harassed,” said Sharma, adding that even owners of private hospitals had been asked to ensure that protocol, prognosis, and expenses, including professional fees and the cost of medicines were explained to patients in a transparent manner.

Residents alleged that the successive governments had failed to upgrade the healthcare centre from a PHC to a hospital, even though the town was upgraded to a subdivision over ten years ago during the SAD government’s rule. Though the town should have a subdivision-level hospital, the healthcare centre is yet to be upgraded to a civil hospital.

Only two medical officers, including an SMO, who is required to perform administrative jobs too, are trying to cater to the patients against the seven sanctioned posts of medical officers. The deployment of a gynaecologist, a surgeon, a paediatrician and an MD (medicine) is urgently required.

Positions of paramedical staff are also required to be filled as there are no technicians or helpers to assist the dental surgeon and ophthalmologist during procedures. Regrettably, no post of dental helper or dental technician has been sanctioned here.

Two out of the three posts of pharmacy officers, two out of the two posts of lab technicians, 11 out of the 14 posts of Class-IV employees, and five out of the 13 posts of nurses remain vacant.

Sources at the hospital also claimed that the ice lined refrigerator (ILR) that had been provided for the storage of transfused blood, was empty, as both posts of lab technicians were vacant.