BARIPADA: Vacancies in the Radio Diagnosis department of Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital (PRM MCH) have affected delivery of quality healthcare to patients. The lone associate professor post continues to remain vacant since the Baripada district headquarters hospital was upgraded to MCH in 2017. Similarly, the posts of professor and senior resident are lying vacant since November last year and February 2022 respectively. Besides, two radiographer posts, reserved for ST candidates, are yet to be filled.
Sources said the staff shortage has affected investigations and diagnosis in the department besides causing immense difficulty to patients. Long queues of patients waiting outside the department for X-ray, ultrasound and other test reports are a common sight.
The department is being run by an assistant professor, a medical student and five radiographers. Patients regularly complain about delay in receiving their test reports as the lone assistant professor is always overburdened with work. Saroj Kumar Mohanty, a resident of Purnachandrapur in Baripada town, said he had to wait for over four hours to get his ultrasound report.
“The department staff often advise general patients to collect their reports on the next day as first priority is given to emergency and critical cases,” he alleged. An employee of the MCH on condition of anonymity said on an average, more than 250 patients visit the department for X-ray and around 150 come for ultrasound daily. The patients face a lot of inconvenience as there is no space for them to wait at the department.
Apart from Mayurbhanj district, patients from nearby Balasore and neighbouring states such as West Bengal and Jharkhand visit PRM MCH to avail radiology services. Contacted, chief district medical officer Dr Rupavanoo Mishra, however, claimed that the Radio Diagnosis department is running smoothly without any problem. The principal of the medical college Dr Punyanshu Mohanty did not respond to the calls.