Concerted effort needed to fill vacant doctor posts

Eknath Shinde. File pic

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Medical Assistance Cell may be helping people, but the Kalyan Dombivli constituency, where his doctor son Shrikant Shinde is Member of Parliament, is facing a gross scarcity of doctors at its government hospital, a report in this paper stated. The state-run Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar has 70 per cent of doctor posts vacant. It is the same hospital where a doctor allegedly refused to deliver the baby of an Adivasi woman, which led to the foetus dying in the womb.

Patients are running from pillar to post for treatment due to the lack of doctors at the Central Hospital. During a visit, mid-day found that only five of 16 doctor posts were filled. The hospital is dependent on ‘on-call' doctors, who people said are unavailable during an emergency.

During a visit to the hospital, mid-day found that the infrastructure also needs to be updated. In the casualty building on the ground floor, there is a common toilet for men and women. The toilet was in a pathetic condition. There was no tap in the basin. Scrap equipment had also been dumped on the hospital's premises.

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While getting the posts filled may be difficult, it is important that a concerted effort is made to do so. The authorities should opt for tie-ups and keep transport on hand, for patients to be taken to other facilities.

Increase your ‘on-call' doctors muster, spreading the net wider if there continues to be a problem. Doctors do quit, but that is a feature of many industries where professionals quit regularly to look for opportunities elsewhere, or for other reasons.

The hospital has to be in good condition infrastructure-wise, with toilets, especially in pristine shape. It is unacceptable that a medical facility has such poor hygiene. Attention, alacrity and answers will help turn the situation around.