HYDERABAD: The 2019 ‘Health Index report’ by NITI Aayog has brought to light the staggering 53.5 per cent vacancies for the post of specialist doctors at district level hospitals.
Telangana is the worst among the five South Indian states, and among the bottom five large States in the country with regard to the shortfall of specialist doctors at public healthcare centres. While the percentage of vacant posts has reduced from 54.8 per cent to 53.5 per cent, doctors argue that the two major reasons of the shortfall is the delay in recruitment and meagre wages.
Dr Mahesh Kumar, president of Health Reforms Doctor’s Association, says: “First of all, specialist doctors will have to be paid fair wages for their services. Secondly, recruitments should to conducted every year, instead of once in every five years, as is the practice.”
However, G. Srinivas Rao, Director of Public Health, refutes these allegations. “There is no dearth of doctors. Based on the 2017-18 data, over 700 doctors were recruited under TVVP and over 460 under the Health Department. This is apart from those recruited in 2018.”