High court seeks affidavit on lack of specialist doctors in Malerkotla
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has called for an affidavit from the Principal Secretary, Health, on the deficiencies in the healthcare sector, including the absence of specialised doctors, and the progress in the recruitment process. The bench also observed that things did not appear to be improving in Malerkotla district as far as the medical infrastructure was concerned.
The admonition came even as the state of Punjab informed the court that fresh recruitment against 1,000 posts of Medical Officers (General) had commenced through an advertisement issued last month. At the onset, the division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel took note of the petitioner’s contention regarding the absence of specialist doctors in gynaecology, ophthalmology, blood transfusion, radiology and dermatology.
The bench observed certain vacancies of doctors at Malerkotla had been filled up as referred to an affidavit placed before the bench. But it was unclear whether the doctors had been freshly recruited or transferred from other locations to fill up the vacancies.
Referring to the petitioner’s submissions regarding the absence of specialists, the bench asserted: “The state counsel is directed to file an affidavit of the Principal Secretary, Department of Health, in this regard, specially addressing the deficiencies pointed out by the learned counsel for the petitioner, particularly at Malerkotla district. The progress of the recruitment process shall also be reflected in the affidavit”.
The bench was, among other things, examining the functioning of Malerkotla Civil Hospital during the hearing in a public interest litigation filed by Bhisham Kinger. His counsel had told the court that the state had outsourced the CT and MRI facilities to a diagnostic laboratory.
The court, during the course of hearing, also took on record the state counsel’s submission that tender had been invited for setting up a radio diagnostic centre with one MRI and one CT scan machine. Taking on record the submission, the bench then called for the progress of the tender process. The matter will now be taken up on July 17.
The bench has already made it clear that the state is duty-bound under its sovereign function to provide basic healthcare facilities. Besides, modern hospital amenities, such as CT scan and MRI machines, were required to be available at district and sub-division level hospitals.
