The decision of Harish Rawat's Government to hold three-day special assembly session at Gairsain is exerting unwarranted pressure on the already creaking health services of the State. To keep a close watch on the health of the legislators the Medical Health department has deployed eight specialists at Gairsain in Chamoli district apart from them the Director of Garhwal Division is also camping there.
The Government machinery has been stationed at Gairsain for the Assembly session from Monday to Wednesday at the small town located at the border of Garhwal and Kumaon divisions. The Director General of Medical Health Dr G S Joshi told The Pioneer, “The department has stationed specialists like physician, cardiologist, surgeon, anesthetist, gynaecologist and dentist at Gairsain. He said that he has deployed Additional Director RP Badoni as the nodal officer to oversee the medical arrangements at Gairsain during the session, the Director Garhwal Division Dr SD Uniyal is also stationed there”. Interestingly the doctors of the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Gairsain which is being run under Private Public Partnership (PPP) would also be there to look after the legislators.
The departure of Dr K B Joshi the only cardiologist at the Doon Hospital in Dehradun to the special Assembly session at Gairsain is causing problems to a large number of the patients who visit the cardiology department. Apart from them the in house patients of the department are at God's mercy for three days as the cardiologist is busy attending the ministers and legislators. The Principal Medical Superintendent of Doon hospital Dr RS Aswal said that the in house patients of the Cardiology department would be looked after by the physicians during the absence of the cardiologist.
The former head of 108 Ambulance service in Uttarakhand and the Aam Aadmi Party leader Anoop Nautiyal told The Pioneer, “The condition of health services in the state is very pathetic and the deployment of doctors to the special assembly session is like rubbing salt on the wounds of the people. Nautiyal questioned the idea of deploying specialists at Gairsain." The helicopters are at the services of the legislators at Gairsain and they can be airlifted and taken to hospitals within minutes in case of medical emergency" he added.
The health service in Uttarakhand is reeling under acute shortage of doctors. More than 75 percent posts of Medical officers (MO) are lying vacant in the state. The state has 1842 sanctioned posts of medical officers (MOs) in the Medical, Health and Social Welfare department and against these posts only 460 MOs are working in the State.