Staff shortage amid BF.7 scare: At Ludhiana Civil Hospital, lone medicine specialist handling patient rush

Tribune News Service

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, January 2

Even as the Health Department is on its toes due to the BF.7 scare, the Civil Hospital is not fully equipped to deal with the situation as the hospital is staring at a shortage of staff. There is only one medicine specialist at the hospital.

Keeping in view the possibility of any future wave, more specialists are needed at the hospital as it will become difficult for the lone doctor to handle patients if the rush increases. The hospital caters to the entire district and around 300 patients visit the OPD daily and at present, the lone doctor has to attend all of them.

Till new appointments are made, doctors from Koom Kalan, Khanna and Raikot visit the hospital once a week. There are three posts of medicine specialist at the hospital and only one has been filled.

“There is only one medicine specialist at the Civil Hospital, while three doctors come once a week from the periphery. If need arises, we will call more doctors to handle the situation,” Senior Medical Officer Amarjeet Kaur said.

A doctor from the hospital said the hospital badly needs more staff. “There are three posts of medicine specialist but keeping in view the rush of patients and the size of the district, there should be at least five sanctioned posts,” she said.

“Not only medicine specialists, but there is also a shortage of nursing staff,” another doctor said.

Kundan Lal, a resident of Daba Road, who had come to the hospital to see a medicine specialist as he was having a fever, said there was a huge rush in the OPD and he had to wait for nearly three hours for his turn. “There should be more doctors so that everyone’s turn comes in time,” he said.

Talking about the preparedness in view of the BF.7 scare, Civil Surgeon Hitinder Kaur said: “We have 180 beds for Covid patients, which include 140 for adults and 40 for paediatric patients. We have seven pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generating plants in the district in the government sector and 11 in the private sector.”

In the level 2 facility, there were 390 beds in the district in the government sector and 1,603 in private. In the Level 3 facility, the government sector had 40 beds (including 10 for paediatric patients) and the private sector had 570 beds. There were 23 ventilators in the government sector and 256 in private. The Civil Hospital had

593 oxygen cylinders at present and 85 oxygen concentrators, the Civil Surgeon added.

Covid preparedness

Civil Hospital

• 593 oxygen cylinders and 85 oxygen concentrators
• 180 beds (140 for adults and 40 for paediatric patients)

In District

Level-2 facilities

• 390 beds (government sector), 1,603 (private sector)

Level 3 facilities

• 40 beds (including 10 for paediatric patients) in govt sector, 256 in pvt

Ventilators

• 23 (govt) + 256 (pvt)

PSA plants

• Seven in government sector,11 in private

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Tribune News Service

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