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Government hospitals facing acute shortage of doctors, drugs
Highlights
Lack of adequate number of doctors at majority of hospitals to provide medicare had resulted in deterioration of the health services in the district.
* Patient care in disarray as workload of doctors increase
* Many hospitals do not have enough essential drugs that must be administered to patients
Eluru: Lack of adequate number of doctors at majority of hospitals to provide medicare had resulted in deterioration of the health services in the district.
According to sources, non-availability of doctors at the hospitals is severely hampering medical services. The scarcity of several medicines was also affecting medicare services.
In West Godavari district, 49 hospitals are under the jurisdiction of Ayush Department and 45 other hospitals are under the jurisdiction of National Health Mission. There are 33 Ayurveda hospitals in the district. As per government norms, each hospital requires at least one doctor, but only 24 doctors are working in 33 Ayurveda hospitals.
Most of these hospitals do not have adequate staff as there are only 12 compounders, two helpers, 11 health workers and one sweeper working in 33 Ayurveda hospitals. Due to perennial shortage of doctors, the small medical team is unable to address the medical needs of patients.
In the United Andhra Pradesh, the government has supplied Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 worth medicines to all the hospitals under the jurisdiction of Ayush Department. However, post bifurcation, there is shortage of medicines as most of the Homeopathy and Ayurveda industries were shifted to Telangana. To address these gaps in health services, the Andhra Pradesh government is purchasing medicines from other states.
Against the 12 sanctioned posts of doctors in 12 Homeopathy hospitals, only 8 doctors are appointed. None of these hospitals had the required staff strength, forcing doctors to work for more hours. This increased the stress on doctors, affecting the quality of service. There are only seven compounders, three health workers and six sweepers working in 12 Homeopathy hospitals. Due to the lack of facilities, the number of patients visiting these hospitals has dwindled. The Unani hospitals in the district too are marred with gross inadequacies of staff, basic infrastructure facility, medicines, and a foolproof quality assurance mechanism, leaving the common people its desperate victims. Against the four sanctioned posts of doctors in four Unani hospitals in the district, only one doctor is working in all these hospitals. Due to this, the work pressure on the lone doctor is increasing day by day. He stays three days in Eluru, one day at Kovvali and the remaining two days at Akiveedu on deputation.
Another Unani hospital at Buttayagudem agency mandal has no doctor. It is the compounder who comes to the rescue of hundreds of patients visiting the Unani hospital. The 10-bed Unani hospital in Eluru does not even has an X-ray technician due to which the X-ray unit had to closed down. The hospital has only two health workers in place of four workers. The shortage of doctors, paramedical staff, compounders and sweepers in this hospital has been posing challenges to tackle the teeming crowds visiting the hospital.
It is said that the doctors as well as locals have been urging the government to ensure supply of quality drugs, equipment, and other infrastructure at these hospitals as hundreds of patients flood them for consultations regarding many problems.
G Ramachandra Sharma
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