A month on, Bathinda AIIMS working with half of sanctioned posts of doctors
BATHINDA: A month after the inauguration of outpatient department (OPD) services on December 23, the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is working with half of the sanctioned posts of doctors of 160, with 81 being filled.
Of these 81, 23 are teaching the first batch of MBBS students at the institute’s temporary campus in Faridkot district. Overall then, 58 experts, including three professors, are managing 12 OPDs, including the super-speciality branches of oncology, urology and paediatric surgery for diagnostic services. The daily patient footfall has now touched nearly 600, with people coming from Bikaner, Sirsa, Sangrur and Mansa.
The general medicine OPD is the most visited and it has three doctors. Radiology services like ECG, X-Ray and ultrasound are also offered.
“The number of doctors is enough to cater to the rush of patients we receive. AIIMS has a stringent hiring process and we hope to get another team of doctors soon,” medical superintendent Satish Gupta told HT, admitting that shortage of doctors, though, remained a problem.
“Some aspirants failed to meet the eligibility criteria, while some who were selected did not join the institute due to unspecified reasons,” Gupta said, adding that inpatient and emergency services will be started by November and MBBS classes will be moved to Bathinda campus from Faridkot in September.
HIGH HOPES
Kuldeep Singh from Bathinda’s Bajak village, who was in the hospital to get treatment for his father, Manjit Singh, said, “After surgery of food pipe cancer at Faridkot, my father complained of severe abdominal pain. I was to take him to Faridkot, but much to the convenience of patients and caregivers, cancer experts are now available in Bathinda.”