Cracking whip on the obstinate senior doctors of associated Hospital of Doon Medical College, the health department has made it mandatory for them to do night duties. In case of any emergency, the senior doctors on duty are called up the resident doctors during night. However the senior doctors like Professors and Associate Professors particularly those belonging to the Provincial Health Services were digging their heels on night duties on one or other grounds.
It is learnt that when the issue came into notice of Principal Secretary Health Om Prakash, he reportedly got furious, warned such doctors and said they should be prepared for transfers in locations like Champawat or Pithoragarh.
The warning was the centre point of discussions among senior doctors of the hospital on Tuesday and had its effect too. One of a senior doctor said, “The hospital authorities should prepare a roaster of duties and services all senior doctors should be taken during night, there should be no discrimination’’.
In the emergency ward of the hospital, four Emergency Medical Officers (EMOs) are deployed; here too the senior EMOs refuse duties in night shifts due to which the emergency during night is in hands of inexperienced doctors.
The Principal Medical Superintendent (PMS) of the hospital Dr K K Tamta said that all senior doctors would be deployed in shifts to cater emergencies during nights. The hospital authorities also deployed Senior Residents (SR) and Junior Residents (JR) in all the wards of the hospital in night shifts also.