Shortage of doctors ails health services

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 25

Shortage of doctors continued to ail the health services in the state during the two years of the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government in the state. Efforts are, however, being made to undo its effect by increasing their retirement age to 65.

Providing specialised healthcare facilities such as MRI, CT scan, Cath labs and dialysis in government hospitals are some positive changes brought about by the state government in the last two years.

Khattar’s two years in power will also be known for the whip his government has cracked on doctors and quacks engaged in sex-determination tests leading to a marked improvement in sex ratio at birth to 899 by the end of September.

Haryana has 2,785 sanctioned posts of medical officer, but out of these, 490 are vacant, 290 doctors are absent from duty, 166 have resigned in recent times and 100 have gone to pursue postgraduate studies.

Under the stewardship of a proactive Health Minister Anil Vij, health services in Haryana have set up specialised diagnostic and treatment services under the public PPP mode.

Radiological services of the MRI and computerised tomography (CT) scan machines have been installed at district hospitals in Panchkula, Bhiwani, Faridabad and Gurgaon as well as medical colleges at Khanpur Kalan (Sonepat), Mewat, Rohtak and Agroha.

“Setting up of radiological services are under process at Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Sonepat and Panipat, while this will be taken up at Ambala Cantt, Palwal, Fatehabad and Sirsa in the second phase,” said Dr Kamla Singh, Director General of Health Services, Haryana.

Similarly, haemodialysis services are being set up at Ambala Cantt, Panchkula, Bhiawni, Rewari, Panipat, Sonepat, Faridabad, Jind, Hisar, Gurgaon, Sirsa, Yamunanagar, Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh and Cath labs services are being provided at Ambala Cantt, Panchkula, Faridabad and Gurgaon.

Taking proactive measures under its ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ programme, the government has suspended or cancelled 575 licences issued under the PNDT Act.

Dr Kamla Singh said 165 cases had been lodged under the PNDT Act of which 76 pertained to sex determination, eight to advertisements, 46 to lack of records and 35 to operating ultrasound machine without licence.

“In the past two years, raids have been conducted within the district as well as inter districts by sending decoy customers to the doctors. Eighty five such raids have been conducted in 2015-16 and 73 in 2016-17,” she said.

While the health services have witnessed several positive developments, instances abound where poor people failed to get medical help at the time of need in different district of the state.