Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 6: Astonishing it may sound but it is a fact that patient-doctor ratio in the Pediatrics Department of the SMGS Hospital is abysmally low in blatant violation of the Medical Council of India (MCI) norms and the recommendations made by a House Panel have been gathering dust in the Medical Education Department during the past six months.
The House Committee comprising 12 Members of Legislative Assembly in its report tabled on the floor of the Lower House on April 3, 2013 had pointed out that Pediatrics Department in the SMGS Hospital was not running in accordance with the Medical Council of India norms in terms of patient-doctor ratio.
While expressing serious concern over abysmally low patient-doctor ratio, the House Committee had stressed that the recruitment of medical/paramedical staff being a high priority should be made on fast track basis besides the process of selection/recruitment should also be expedited by the recruiting agencies to meet such deficiencies.
However, despite lapse of six months the Medical Education Department has failed to implement the recommendations of the House Committee despite the fact that workload on the existing manpower of the Pediatrics Department has increased manifold during this period particularly due to the recent dengue outbreak in various parts of Jammu region, sources said.
The doctor-patient ratio in the department can be gauged from the fact that there are only seven regular faculty members and two doctors on deputation for looking after the patients on 380 beds, sources said. “As per the MCI norms there should be one unit for 30 beds but in Pediatrics Department of SMGS Hospital there are only two units for 380 beds, which indicates how those at the helm of affairs in the Medical Education Department are least bothered about ensuring strict adherence to the MCI guidelines”, they added.
“If the MCI guidelines are strictly followed there should be at least 12 units for 380 beds”, sources said in response to a question, adding “what to talk of increasing strength of faculty members as per the MCI norms, the department has not even been provided manpower as per the sanctioned strength”.
“This indicates that not only the MCI guidelines the authorities concerned have also been showing scant regard to the House Committee recommendations, which in explicit terms had stated that there was urgency to provide adequate manpower to the department”.
According to the sources, 10 posts of the Medical Officers sanctioned for the new Pediatric block have also been lying vacant during the past three years. “Not only the faculty members, the department is also reeling under the shortage of para-medical staff besides lacking sufficient number of equipment to provide health care to the increasing number of patients”, they said and disclosed that department is only having one ventilator despite being in dire need of more.
In response to a question, sources said that the prevailing chaotic condition in the Pediatric wing of the SMGS Hospital was brought to the notice of the concerned authorities but till date no serious attention has been paid towards removing deficiencies.
“If the recommendations of the House Committees are to be taken in such a casual manner then what is the fun of framing the same and obtaining suggestions”, sources asked.
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