Keonjhar: Healthcare services at the district headquarters hospital of Keonjhar is already ailing due to the severe shortage of doctors. It is a common practice here for pharmacists to treat patients in the absence of doctors.
The transfer of some senior doctors on promotion has added to the problem in the hospital as no doctors have been appointed in their place. The DHH requires 231 doctors, but only 148 doctors are managing healthcare services now.
The specialist posts in the obstetrics and genecology, skin and VD, radiology and TB departments have been lying vacant. Besides, the posts of 12 LTRMO doctors have not been filled up.
If other hospitals face problem in the shortage of doctors, these LTRMO doctors are sent to the place to manage on a temporary basis. In the case of outbreak of disease in any village, these doctors assist medical teams.
Four specialist doctors have been appointed in the hospital with salaries being provided from the DMF fund. A pathology doctor is there at the hospital, but he has been assigned other works too.
The poor are always at the receiving end of doctor shortage. Unable to get healthcare, they are compelled to seek treatment in private clinics.
The transfer of some senior doctors from the district to others has created more problems in healthcare. Thirteen doctors have been shifted out of the district while the health department has issued a directive to appoint eight new doctors in their place.
The doctors shifted out of the district are medicine specialist Dr Ninranjan Behera, Dr Kamar Ahmmed, skin specialist Dr Piyush Sahu and obstetrics and genecology specialist Dr Padmalochan Mohant, Dr Benudhar Nayak(DHH), medical officer of Bansapal CHC Dr Bishnu Charan Patra, Dr Satyajit Panda (Champua sub-divisional hospital), Dr Soudamini Dhal (Barbil CHC), district tuberculosis doctor Gyanendra Kumar Mohanty, medical officer of Harinchadanpur CHC Dr Surendanath Singh, Dr Tukuchand patra (Bhanda PHC), Medical Officer of Fakirpur CHC Dr Chaitanya Kumar Marandi, Medical Officer of Sainkula CHC Dr Bibhudatt, surgery specialist Dr Babaji Charan Nayak and Medical Officer of Padmapur CHC Dr Basant Kumar Patra.
Worse, more doctors will be shifted out of the district and this will create more problems.
CDMO Dr Choundhry Swarup Mishra said that despite shortage of doctors, the treatment of patients will not be neglected.
PNN