Govt readies rationalisation policy for posting of doctors

CHANDIGARH : With nine of state’s 22 districts facing an acute shortage of doctors (every third post of doctor is vacant here), the Punjab health department has prepared a blueprint of a rationalisation policy to better manage postings of medical officers and specialists.

According to instructions issued to civil surgeons, the new postings will be done keeping in view the Out-Patient Department (OPD) load and the local need (demand) for doctors based on commonly prevalent diseases in a particular region.

For instance, if there is no need for the OPD clinic of say, a skin specialist in a particular area, the post will be changed to other areas according to need, under this policy, said an official.

“All our efforts to get doctors to serve in rural areas, especially in the border belt have failed to bring the desired results. Situation in areas like Abohar and Fazilka is grave, where doctors are not willing to serve. Most prefer postings in urban belts,” health and family welfare minister Brahm Mohindra told Hindustan Times.

He added, “Rationalisation is being done to bring about parity in availability of doctors. The new postings will be done after Diwali.

MOHALI HAS LEAST VACANCIES

An analysis of data shows that Mohali district, situated along the border with state capital, Chandigarh, has the least number of posts of doctors vacant (only 12) of total 84. In specialist docs, only 2 of 68 posts are vacant.

Fatehgarh Sahib district is the second best district in terms of posting of doctors. In most districts, the shortage of docs ranges from 30-55%.

To start rationalisation, the department has asked civil surgeons to give details about OPDs and posting of doctors in all Community Health Centres (CHC), Primary Health Centres (PHC) and district hospitals.“In most hospitals in urban areas, there is not even a single vacancy of specialist doctors. In rural areas, however, all such posts are vacant. Even if you post doctors there, they manage their postings to easy areas,” a senior functionary of the department said.

NEW DOCS TO BE POSTED IN NATIVE DISTRICTS

The department has also decided that the newly recruited 558 doctors, who are to join the department shortly, will be posted in the home districts that they belong to.

“This means that doctors from Fazilka will be posted in Fazilka itself. If there is no vacancy in their home districts, they will be posted in neighbouring districts,” the health minister added.