Lack of doctors in government hospitals hits public health in erstwhile Mahbubnagar

Mahbubnagar: While the State government is claiming tall that it was leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the people get best medical and healthcare services, however, the ground level reality is completely in contrast to the government's claims. Majority government hospitals still have various vacant posts of healthcare staff like nurses, doctors and others.

With the rising seasonal diseases and large number of patients visiting the PHCs, CHCs and other leading government hospitals at the district level, the heavy influx of patients has put extra pressure on the existing healthcare staff.

For instance, the Community Health Centre in Nagarkurnool district has a total of eight vacant posts for civil surgeons and deputy civil surgeons but, the State government had failed to fill up even one post during the last 5-year. As there are no well qualified doctors available, the existing staff is just running the show with assistant civil surgeons, nurses and ward boys. In most of the cases, the assistant civil surgeons are forced to attend the patients with complex cases in the hospitals. However, the Nagarkurnool district which is having a total sanction of 63 assistant civil surgeons has only 43 till date, while the remaining 20 are still vacant. Moreover, some of the civil surgeons who are currently working in some of the centres like Achampet community hospitals are being put on deputation to work in some other places despite the fact that the presence of these doctors is very much needed in the place where they are posted.

Two civil surgeons in Achampet community health centre have been sent on deputation. While one of them has been sent to Uppunutala health centre, the other is working in Hyderabad. Same goes for doctors in Chinna Muddanoor, Talakondapally and Lingala Hospitals in Nagarkurnool district.

In fact, the 100 bed hospitals in Achampet need more number of doctors, civil surgeons and assistant civil surgeons to meet the growing demand of the people in the region, however the authorities are running the show with just four doctors. District medical and Health official Sudhakarlal said that they will take up the issue of deputation of senior doctors with the Commissioner of Heath Department in the next meeting and will ensure that all the doctors be shifted to their original place of posting.