The Pauri District hospital and women's hospital have become mere referral centres due to Government apathy. Both these hospitals have been facing acute staff shortage for years due to which the people visiting these hospitals are often referred to other centres for medical treatment.Due to the shortage of doctors here, even road accident victims brought to the district hospital are referred to the Srinagar base hospital and other hospitals in case they have sustained more than minor injuries.District hospital Pauri has 20 sanctioned posts of doctors, but out of these sanctioned post only nine are occupied. Similarly one female doctor and one contractual doctor are providing medical treatment in the District women's hospital.
The posts of medical superintendent, senior medical officer, pathologist, radiologist, skin specialist, cardiologist, DMO, ENT and one of the two posts of eye surgeon are vacant in the district hospital. Due to the inefficiency of the Health Directorate, the government doctors transferred to this hospital did not join their duty here and the government failed to take stringent action against them for this. While there are two pathologists in the Kotdwar joint hospital in the Assembly constituency of the Health Minister SS Negi, there is no pathologist in the district hospital in Pauri.