Nuh medical college has a 15% shortage in staff, finds report

The Shaheed Hassan Khan Mewati Government Medical College and Hospital in Nalhar near Nuh is facing a shortage of doctors and specialists in various departments.

According to officials of the health department, the medical college, which sees more than 1,700 patients in its out-patient department (OPD) on an average in a day, has no radiologist and no senior resident doctor in medicine and surgery.

A report of the Medical Council of India (MCI) for 2018 stated that the medical college has a 15% shortage in faculty. More than 22 posts of staff nurse are also vacant, the report found.

“None of the seven vacant posts in the radiologist division has been filled for the past several months. More than four posts of senior resident doctor are also vacant in surgery and medicine,” said an employee of the medical college who wished to remain anonymous.

“Three people have been hired on a contractual basis and a private-public partnership model to handle the CT scan and MRI machines is in place,” he said.

Dr Yamini Kapoor, director of the medical college, confirmed that these posts have been vacant for more than two years now, adding that doctors are reluctant to work in Nuh.

“We have been conducting walk-in interviews for fresh appointments for resident doctors every week. We have also written to the state government multiple times, apprising them of our situation. However, so far, it has been of no consequence,” Dr Kapoor said, adding that doctors do not want to practice in Nuh, as it is relatively underdeveloped than other cities like Delhi and Gurugram.

In April 2018, two women died of post-pregnancy complications, as there was no doctor to attend to them, according to reports by the hospital.

In May 2017, a woman died of excessive bleeding, as there was no doctor to operate on her, said the hospital staff.