State-run hospitals ail with shortage of doctors, nurses

Hyderabad: Doctors working in government hospitals (allopathic) in Telangana especially in districts and rural areas are overburdened with work and at times have their weekly off and leaves cancelled during crisis-like situations, as seen during the dengue and viral fevers outbreak in the monsoon.

Also, specialist doctors (PG doctors) recruited for one speciality are made to work in other departments on some days due to lack of General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs).

Due to staff bifurcation issues and other reasons, doctors' recruitments were not taken up regularly in the initial period in the new State of Telangana thus impacting the quality of health care offered to the State population.

No wonder the National Health Profile survey of the Union Health Ministry shows Telangana lagging behind other States in the total number of doctors working in the government sector.

Same is the case with the number of staff nurses, who are much short of the required numbers in the State hospitals.

The noted tertiary and big hospitals in the State capital have increased the bed capacity considerably over the last few years, but alongside permanent staff, nurse recruitments were not done and hospital authorities are left with no option but to run the show with contract and fewer staff than desired.

The number of doctors on government rolls in Telangana is 4123 (allopathic doctors) and dental doctors figure stands at 201 (as per 2017 figures).

This is in stark contrast to other States including the smaller ones that have higher strength compared to Telangana and some of them submitted data as latest as of December 2018.

Number of doctors in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh are 5114, Assam (6082), Gujarat (5475), Karnataka (5046), Kerala (5239), Maharashtra (6981), Odisha (4300), Rajasthan (7227), Tamil Nadu (7233), Uttar Pradesh (10,754), West Bengal (8829).

Even a small State like Delhi has over 9,121 doctors on rolls but the figures given by them are up to 2015 only.

The total number of hospitals and health centres under State government across Telangana are nearly 863 and the total bed strength is nearly 21,000 beds.

Looking at this figure one can imagine the requirement of doctors and nurses to extend better healthcare services to people of the State.

According to Dr K Mahesh Kumar, president of Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association, the NHP figures are from 2017, but in the last two years nearly 1,500 government doctors have been recruited, but a lot more need to be recruited by the medical recruitment board on a priority basis.

Senior government doctors, who did not wish to be quoted, urged the government to fill all doctors and nursing vacancies in State hospitals so that the goal of Aarogya Telangana could be achieved.