Shortage of nursing staff at govt hospital in Nellore

Nellore: The Government General Hospital attached to the ACSR Medical College is facing shortage of nursing staff for providing services to the patients.

Out of required 150-200 female nursing/male nursing orderlies, there are only 10 staff members for the entire 750-bedded hospital where 46 inpatient wards and 15 operation theatres exist. Now, security staff and attendants of the patients are acting as nursing staff for shifting patients for various tests required.

The medical facility was Government Headquarters Hospital till 2017 and has been shifted to Atmakur considering upgrading the existing one as teaching hospital for the benefit of practice for the medical students and also for the patients with modern facilities and also excellent services by the expert doctors.

Though there are medical experts in the college, paucity of nursing staff members has been haunting the hospital for some time. There are wings of ENT, eye, orthopaedics, general medicine, surgery, skin, paediatric, labour, pulmonary, emergency, trauma care and other wings for the patients.

For all these wings, there are only 10 nursing staff in which one is regular employee and 4 contract staff were allocated to trauma care and five for the entire hospital, who were deputed by the Hyderabad based Nakshatra Outsourcing Agency.

"In fact, the State government sanctioned 18 posts through GO 53 some time ago and no action has been taken till now for resolving the issue of shortage of staff. Now, only sanitation and security staff are doing duties of these nursing staff. There was no action from the government side for recruiting the posts on permanent basis," said a senior official from the hospital.

Now, due to shortage of required qualified staff, sanitation and security staff are performing their role collecting money from the patients. In case they cannot pay, attendants have to bring the patient to all wards or labs for any tests or investigations. But this activity sometimes is creating unnecessary complications to the patients due to ignorance in handling the equipment.

Further, there is shortage of lab technicians in the hospital where they play crucial role in diagnosis. Director of Medical Education has to resolve these issues for providing services to the patients duly inspecting conditions in the hospital since it has been attached to the medical college, added the official.