HYDERABAD: The lack of infrastructure is the biggest challenge that doctors working in government hospitals are facing, they say. Though they are getting paid less and infrequently, the doctors, especially senior residents, in the State continue working in the government sector. Many doctors also complained about the unavailability of medicine in hospital pharmacies.
Impact on med education
The lack of facilities is not affecting the patients, but also bringing down the quality of medical education in the State, said doctors.“Who will teach medical students in the future if assistant doctors don’t have the infrastructure to practice on? Their skills will eventually deteriorate and students will start preferring private colleges to learn from expert doctors,” said an assistant professor working at Osmania General Hospital (OGH).
Being overworked, but without pay: Docs
The doctors who work beyond their official working hours have to mandatorily work for 24 hours in one go once every 10 days. Emergencies can never be avoided even after completing 36 hours of duty, they said.“We have to work a minimum of 20 hours for transplant surgeries,” said Ch Madhusudan, professor of surgical gastroenterology at OGH
“If a private doctor is getting paid `1 lakh per month, the government doctors having the same experience and expertise will get paid only `50,000. However, making money was never the aim behind joining government service,” doctors said.“Such a scenario where we are not getting our salaries on time is affecting us,” said a senior resident doctor working at Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital. “As there was no salary for eight months, some of us have taken out a loan to feed our families,” he added.If the State is not able to pay the salaries of doctors who are already working, what would it do when the new recruitment takes place, a senior doctor wondered.