Admitting that the shortage of doctors in Government hospitals has hit the health care system, the Government has decided to appoint retired doctors on a temporary basis. Initially the superannuated doctors will be appointed for a period of two years. Sources in the JAH Group of Hospitals said that five retired doctors have already expressed their desire to rejoin service and have sent in their applications.
Surprisingly the dearth of doctors is only found in Government hospitals. Medical Practitioners are not willing to serve in rural as well as urban areas in government hospitals, largely because the financial benefits are not all that promising.
There are scores of people in the rural and urban areas who don’t have timely access to health care due to this acute shortage of doctors. Add the inadequate infrastructure and lack of sophisticated medical equipment, the situation is close to critical. It is no secret that the government has been struggling to provide basic medical facilities to its citizens. In the past the government had tried to rope in Ayush doctors to come out of this problem but such efforts met with less success and more failures. The government had also tried to tackle the situation by recruiting more doctors, even putting in efforts to attract doctors from outside the state. With this latest move the government hopes to retain experienced personnel as well as expand health services in the state.
Sources in the JAH Group of Hospitals said that a committee will be soon formed to look into the various formalities related to the appointment of retired doctors. One can only hope that the new strategy will make the public health care more accessible and affordable without compromising on quality.