Rural healthcare in doldrums: 75% shortage of specialist docs in CHCs across Punjab

Sangrur

Rural healthcare facilities in Punjab are reeling under severe shortage of specialist doctors, including paediatricians, surgeons, obstetricians, gynaecologists and general physicians.

Against the requirement of 600 specialists, only 151 are appointed in community health centres (CHCs) in rural areas across the state, a shortfall of around 75%, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare. In 2005, the shortfall was 52%.

CHCs are block-level government hospitals which offer out patient department (OPD), in patient department (IPD), emergency and round-the-clock delivery services. It also provides surgery, gynaecology, paediatrics and general medicine facilities. There are only 150 CHCs in Punjab for its rural population and each CHC has minimum 30 beds for IPD services. Besides, the CHCs also carry out all healthcare programmes run by the state health and family welfare ministry.

According to figures released by the ministry in response to state-wise details sought in Parliament by Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, there is requirement of 600 specialist doctors in the state and only 151 have been appointed at CHCs. Responding to the question, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, the minister of state in the ministry of health and family welfare shared the rural health statistics in the House on Friday.

She also informed the House that recently the Reserve Bank of India in its handbook of “Statistics of Indian States” has also published the data on health specialists in CHCs in the country. The report is based on the data sourced from rural health statistics of the ministry of health and family welfare.

The minister said the shortfall increased in the last 18 years. In 2005, 226 (48.7%) specialist doctors were working at CHCs in the rural areas against the requirement of 464 doctors, which has now risen to 600 doctors.

President of the Punjab Civil Medical Service Association (PCMSA) Dr Akhil Sarin said the shortage of specialist is alarming. Now, specialists are being posted for general emergency duties which has jeopardised the services at many centres. Even at the sub-divisional and district-level, there is an acute shortage of MBBS doctors (emergency medical officers).

“We have apprised the higher authorities of this acute staff crunch, especially the shortage of MBBS doctors,” he added.

Admitting shortage of specialists, Punjab health director Dr Ranjeet Singh said: “We are making all out efforts to hire doctors. Recently, we had started process to recruit 634 specialists but only 271 applied. Of these, 90 have sought time for joining. They all will join the services soon.”