Health Dept faced 50% staff shortage from 2016 to 22: CAG

The Department of Health and Family Welfare and that of the Medical Education and Research in Punjab had over half of the posts vacant from 2016 to 2022, revealed a Comptroller and Auditor General of India report tabled in the state Assembly on Tuesday.

The report pertained to the period when the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine and subsequently the Congress ruled the state.

The SAD-BJP alliance was in power from 2007-17 while the Congress ruled the state from 2017-22. The CAG report highlighted that both departments had nearly 51 per cent staff vacancy, with 34,949 out of 68,949 posts lying vacant.

The analysis of data of the Integrated Human Resource Management System quoted by the report revealed that the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, which included medical colleges at Amritsar, Faridkot, Patiala and Mohali, had a manpower shortage of 59.19 per cent. The Health deployment showed huge variations.

There was 29.14 per cent vacancy in Pathankot district and at the same time, it was 62.3 per cent in Hoshiarpur.

Similarly, while 19.23 per cent posts of maternity assistant (ANM) were vacant in Moga district, the vacancy was as high as 97.19 per cent in Amritsar.

The data also showed a big difference in the doctor-patient ratio. It showed one doctor examined on an average 2,377 patients in Ropar district. At the same time, it was as high as one doctor for 7,376 people in Moga district. The data showed one doctor for 5,263 patients in Fazilka.

In Ludhiana and Ferozepur, one doctor on an average examined 6,160 and 6005 patients, respectively. The Health department had only 11 radiologists out of the sanctioned strength of 26.

The government hospitals in the state during the six-year period had only 40 general surgeons against the desired number of 150. At the state time, the government hospitals had only 44 paediatric doctors against the required number of 150.

The report said that according to the National Family Health Survey (2019-21), health indicators of the state were better than the national indicators except for sex ratio, average out of pocket expenditure per delivery in public health facilities and institutional births in public facilities.