HYDERABAD: District government hospitals have been facing a significant shortage of specialist manpower in kidney care even as dialysis services are being expanded across the state.
The Rajya Sabha Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, in its recent report titled ‘Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease in India: Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Management’, noted that Telangana had zero sanctioned and in-position nephrologist posts at district hospitals.
One urologist post was sanctioned but none was filled. There were also no sanctioned or in-position posts for dialysis technicians. The data, however, does not include human resources engaged under the public-private partnership model.
The findings assume significance as Telangana strengthens its dialysis infrastructure and district-level healthcare to reduce the need for patients to travel to tertiary centres such as Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad.
The committee flagged the disconnect between infrastructure creation and specialist availability. It noted that dialysis services at several district hospitals are being provided by technicians or other hospital staff without regular specialist supervision. Nephrologists are either unavailable, visit intermittently or attend hospitals only once every three to four months.
The panel recommended a time-bound exercise to fill vacant sanctioned posts of nephrologists, urologists and dialysis technicians at district hospitals. It also called for dedicated nephrology departments in all government medical colleges, along with an expansion of DM Nephrology seats and allied training capacity.
Dr Karthik Nagula, Telangana state president of the Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA), said the expansion of dialysis centres should go hand in hand with recruitment of nephrologists and trained dialysis technicians.
Dr Kiran Madhala, secretary general of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors’ Association (TGGDA), said occupational exposures, hypertension and inappropriate NSAID use were among the concerns contributing to kidney disease.
“Screening programmes should be strengthened and made available at the grassroots level. This is particularly important because nearly 70% of cases are detected at a very late stage, limiting opportunities for timely intervention,” Dr Madhala said.
