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Tribune News Service
Bathinda, May 5
Civil veterinary hospitals in the district have been facing a shortage of veterinary doctors and inspectors.
In the absence of permanent veterinary doctors and inspectors, the existing staff have to work in rotational shifts at a number of civil veterinary hospitals in the district, increasing their workload on a daily basis.
Apart from examining and treating animals in the OPD unit, doctors have to do clerical work as well.
The data procured from the district Animal Husbandry Department reveals that against a requirement of minimum 87 veterinary doctors, there are only 51 in the district.
Similarly, against the demand for 117 veterinary inspectors, there are 93 at different civil veterinary hospitals in the district.
Sources said doctors and pharmacists or inspectors not only work on a rotational basis, but also go in field to examine or treat animals in emergency cases.
As in some hospitals or dispensaries there are only one doctor and when he or she goes in the field to attend a critical animal (emergency case), there is no one at the hospital to examine or treat animals. The existing staff face difficulty during the vaccination of animals, they added.
A senior employee of the department said when the state government was not bothered to provide adequate number of doctors and medical staff at government hospitals meant for humans, it was not surprising that animal hospitals working without permanent doctors.
There are a few hospitals that do not have a single doctor. In the end, the owner of animals has to make rounds of hospitals for treatment.
Amrik Singh, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry Department, Bathinda, said, “The process to appoint new staff at civil veterinary hospitals is on, which will be resumed after the model code of conduct is lifted. In the past, vacancies have not been filled in proportion to the retired employees from the department. As a result, the workload on the existing staff has increased a lot.”
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