The tall claims made by the State health department that every possible effort would be taken for ensuring the availability of medical officers in the fringe parts of Dehradun district proved useless as villagers are forced to traverse several kilometres to access to the medical and health facilities.
Well-established sources revealed that acute shortage of medical officers and paramedical staff is hampering the department efforts for ensuring the round the clock medical and health facilities to villagers. Acute shortage of specialist medical officers at community health centres operating in the remote areas of the State are forcing the villagers to traverse several kilometres to access to advance medical and health facilities in the district hospitals.
Among the worst sufferer in the absence of specialist medical officers in the community health centres, primary health centres and health centres are road accident victims and seriously ill patients, who are refer on the regular interval to the district hospitals. Besides, the lives of seriously ill patients jeopardise till they get admitted in the district hospitals. While speaking to The Pioneer, Chief Medical Officer Dehradun Dr Gurupal Singh said that stern instructions are given to the in-charges of health centres for ensuring the round-the-clock medical and health facilities to those villagers, who are living in the remote parts of the district.
After expressing his concern over the acute shortage of medical officers in the State, Dr Singh said that the best medical facilities are provided to patients. He also claimed that surprise raids would continue in the near future in order to ensure the availability of the medical officers and para-medical staff in the remotest areas of the State. Dr Singh said that strict department action would be surely taken, if any medicos found absent from his duty without informing higher authorities.