The Akhilesh Yadav Government has admitted that state is facing an acute crunch of doctors and para-medics in the state run hospitals and is making sincere efforts to appoint new staff. The assurance was given in a written question by Health minister Ahmad Hasan in Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday. Answering the question of Shyamdeo Rai Chaudhry (BJP) Health minister said that there are over 4300 posts of doctors lying vacant in the state. Against the allotted posts of 16,284 at least 11,920 doctors are working. Thus, there is vacancy of 4364 doctors in the hospitals at present, minister said.
He also admitted that 252 posts of Chief Pharmacists and 41 posts of In-charge, Pharmacy departments are lying vacant. Besides 403 posts of X-ray technicians is also lying vacant, he said. “Of these vacant posts of X-ray technicians government has initiated process to fill 287 posts. Very soon other vacancies including that of senior lab assistants will also be filled,” he said.
The minister also claimed that patients were given free medicines in government hospitals and PHCs and majority of the pathological tests were carried out free of cost. Government is facing shortage of doctors in the state-run PHCs and CHCs as newly appointed doctors have refused to work in villages. last year over 2000 doctors were given appointment but only a handful joined the Provincial Health and Medical Services (PHMS). To allure the new MBBS pass doctors, government has even offered reservation to those doctors in MS/MD courses who have completed three years working in rural sectors.