Transfers, resource crunch push healthcare in Ferozepur to the brink
Anirudh Gupta
Ferozepur, September 7
While Covid-19 is at its peak in the state and this border town is witnessing huge spike in cases, the frequent transfers of key stakeholders in the Health Department, combined with lack of resources and manpower, has put the healthcare management totally out of gear, thereby inviting public wrath.
As per sources, three Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) and three Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) have been transferred for reasons unforeseen during the past three months, which has adversely impacted the Covid management in this district.
During the initial period, when the lockdown was imposed, Dr Navdeep Singh was posted as the CMO. However, he was transferred on June 26, following which Dr Jugal Kishore joined on July 1. He too was transferred out on August 26 and now, Dr Vinod Sarin has been posted as the CMO.
Similarly, Dr Avinash Jindal joined as the SMO in March. He was actively involved in Covid Care Management but was transferred out in July. Thereafter, Dr Pradeep Mohindra joined on July 10 but was eventually posted out on August 22. Later, Dr Sukhjiwan Kakkar was appointed for the post but he was reportedly transferred within eight days.
Till date, 44 deaths have been reported due to Covid in the district and the cases are increasing with each passing day. Besides, hundreds of patients here are suffering from other diseases like dengue, typhoid, malaria and other kind of viral infections. In this scenario, the frequent changes have impacted the healthcare management adversely.
Box— 47 posts vacant in district
Out of the 31 sanctioned posts, nine posts of doctors, including a surgeon, an orthopaedic, two paediatricians and one anaesthesiologist, are lying vacant in the Civil Hospital while only 63 doctors are working against 106 sanctioned posts in other healthcare centres in the district. Add to this the four doctors who have been reported Covid positive till date, besides staff nurses, paramedics and other health officials who have been tested positive. Also, none of the three ventilators recently provided to the Civil Hospital are functional. Another two ventilators, provided by Ferozepur MP Sukhbir Singh Badal, have also not been put to use yet, reportedly due to unavailability of requisite manpower.
