BERHAMPUR: MKCG Medical College and Hospital (MCH), despite being the referral hospital for 10 southern districts, is struggling to provide healthcare services to public reportedly due to shortage of doctors. In some wards, patients are being given treatment only on one day.
Sources said out of the 488 doctor posts sanctioned by the government, around 160 are reportedly lying vacant. Besides, unofficial absence of recruited doctors, especially seniors, who prefer practising privately in Bhubaneswar or Cuttack instead of the MCH, has added to the woes.
Despite presence of an active Swasthya Bikash Samiti (SBS) in the MCH and its governing body headed by several bureaucrats and elected representatives, lack of holding defaulters accountable has affected patient care at the hospital. Meanwhile, MKCG MCH dean Prof SK Mishra said the hospital had biometric system but no records on the attendance of its staff, was available in it.
It also came to the fore that though the clinical gastroenterology ward had six sanctioned doctor posts, only three were officially rendering treatment including one who is on earned leave. However, when asked, the MCH’s dean remained tight-lipped on the matter.
Similarly, the surgical gastroenterology ward of the MCH also functioned with just three doctors instead of a sanctioned strength of seven. In the department, outdoor and indoor patients were only treated on Thursdays.
On a visit to the hospital, the TNIE correspondent found only one doctor attending to 50-odd patients who were lined up in front of the clinical gastroenterology ward. A similar situation was also witnessed in front of the surgical gastroenterology ward where 20 patients were seen waiting outside for treatment.
The staff claimed that seven patients were being treated at the surgical gastroenterology ward of the super-specialty building but in reality no patients were found there. The clinical gastroenterology ward even lacked separate cabins for doctors. When questioned on the shortage of doctors, Mishra said the higher authorities have been apprised of the vacant posts.