-SATISH HANDA
There are 2451 doctors out of total number of 3294 posts for the doctors in government hospitals in Haryana state, which include 59 hospitals, 486 Primary Health Centres (PHC) and 119 Community Health Centres (CHC) in Haryana state providing health services to over 2.5 crore residents in the state, whereas according to population in the state there is requirement of nearly 27000 doctors in hospitals in the state. According to information, out of total number of 3294 posts for the doctors in government hospitals in Haryana state, 2451 vacancies were filled up by the government, of them more than 150 doctors are on long leave without sanction, over 60 doctors are on leave preparing for the higher studies as such health services to patients in government hospitals are adversely affected due to acute shortage of doctors.
It has been observed that young doctors are not willing to serve in government hospitals and prefer to join service in private hospitals. Some of the doctors working in government hospitals in state on the condition not to disclose their names told that they are not satisfied with the working in government hospitals due to better salary package offered in private hospitals, heavy work load mostly attending more than 300 patients every day in OPD in few hours duty, unsafe working atmosphere, excessive political interference, forced to work in double shifts due to shortage of doctors in hospitals, experts often deployed on duty in emergency ward or perform post mortems in hospital mortuary and doctors remain busy in attending court cases quite often as such graph of doctors leaving services in government hospitals is constantly on rise. Moreover, most of senior doctors working in government hospitals since a long time were seen unsatisfied due to unfavourable policies.
State President, Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) Association Jasbir Parmar strongly condemned poor health services in government hospitals due to shortage of doctors. He said, decision for immediate appointment of 790 doctors in state government hospitals was taken by Cabinet Health Minister Anil Vij recently and Director Health Haryana also released advertisement in newspapers for walk-in-interviews on the advise of health minister, but the related file has been dumped in chief minister’s office directing state health department to fill up vacancies for the doctors in government hospitals through Haryana Service Commission, which would not only delay the process of appointment of doctors but also harm patients need immediate medical services all over in the state government hospitals. Parmar said, nearly 2500 doctors were appointed by the state government in past seven-eight years, of them only 750 doctors are providing services in government hospitals at present due to excessive work load, lacking facilities and severe neglect in government hospitals. He said, in the year 2015 against requirement of 561 doctors 389 appointment letters were issued to the doctors but only 308 doctors joined duty, similarly in the year 2017 against 662 posts for the doctors only 554 doctors were issued appointment letters but only 540 doctors had joined duty.
Parmar expressed deep concern over delay in special increment to specialist doctors in-spite of approval by the chief minister demanding assured career promotion (ACP) benefits to doctors after four, nine, thirteen and twenty years services as applicable to doctors in U.P, Bihar, Uttarkhand and Delhi states whereas doctors working in government hospitals in Haryana are getting ACP after five, ten and fifteen years. He said association will take up this matter with Haryana chief minister, besides insisting to remove discrepancies in 7th Pay Commission to doctors working in government hospitals in the state, 5% increase in budget in health department sector in the state, 42 hours duty in the hospital in a week, provision for overtime for the doctors after working beyond 42 hours in a week and improvement in facilities to doctors working in government hospitals.
When talked to Anil Vij Cabinet Health Minister, he said there is a proposal to increase health budget by hundred percent in the state. He said, efforts are being made to open medical colleges in every state by the year2022 in view of shortage of doctors in the state likely to produce nearly 2000 doctors every year. He said, Haryana state government has plans to open new nursing colleges in the state to meet shortage of para-medical staff in government hospitals.
