The Chhattisgarh Government has issued directives to all the 27 district hospitals in the State to provide Emergency services and Out-Patient Department (OPD) facilities round-the-clock.
A circular was issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department stating that doctors and technicians should be available in all district hospitals round-the-clock in three shifts.
The first shift will be from 8:00 am to 2 :00 pm, second shift from 2:00 pm to 8: 00 pm and third shift from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am.
It may also be recalled that the State Government has issued appointment letters to 300 new doctors under Class-II category in a bid to tide over shortage of doctors in Government hospitals of the State.
The Health and Family Welfare Department has also issued posting orders for the newly appointed doctors, officials informed.
Notably in April this year, the Chhattisgarh government had also decided to recruit MBBS doctors without carrying out interviews.
This was decided during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Raman Singh at the Mantralaya in Naya Raipur.
According to official information, earlier the government had released an advertisement for recruiting 200 doctors, most of them to be deployed in tribal dominated Surguja and Bastar divisions. About 600 applications were received for the 200 post advertised, officials informed.
The Chief Minister, while addressing a meeting had earlier directed Health Department officials to recruit all 600 applicants applying for the job and issue appointment letter soon. This would help in filling the dearth of doctors in different district hospitals, he said.
In April this year, with a view to promoting scientific research in the field of Medicine, the Chhattisgarh government also decided to set up 'DKS Post Graduate Institute and Research Centre' in Raipur’s 'Dau Kalyan Singh Bhawan' (old Mantralaya building).
As per information received, responsibility of renovation of the building for the institute, procurement of equipment, creating posts, appointment of medical officers and other employees has been entrusted to Director, Medical Education.
In order to start the new institute according to the directives of Chief Minister Raman Singh, the Department has constituted a high-powered autonomous Committee headed by the State Health and Family Welfare Minister Ajay Chandrakar.
Officials informed that the Committee has been formed under provision of Chhattisgarh Society Registration Act-1973.
The decision regarding renovation of the building, campus development, approval of important posts and appointment on those posts and other related decision will be taken by the Committee, added officials.
They further informed that Public Works Department (PWD) has been appointed as an agency for undertaking institute’s building extension and campus development work.
The officials also informed that permission or approval required from any Regulatory Commission or organization for the institute will be sought immediately.
The institute is going to have a Director, Superintendent and a Nodal Officer and they will have the responsibility of starting the institute by fulfilling every parameter, said officials, adding that moreover, the officials will also be responsible of forming all requisite committees for the institute within one month.
Notably, Chief Minister Raman Singh has announced of starting a series of high expertise medical services, including Neurosurgery, Nephrology, Plastic Surgery, Paediatric surgery and PET scan in DKS hospital and made financial provision of Rs 21 crore in the State budget during the current financial year (2016-17).