In the absence of doctors, the patients have almost stopped visiting the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Government hospital—popularly known as Coronation Hospital— located in Dalanwala area of the city.
The hospital has a sprawling campus and has a sanctioned in house patient capacity of 58 beds; the Fortis hospital is also located on its campus. The hospital has 28 sanctioned posts of doctors out which 12 posts are lying vacant.
At present the hospital is catering its patients without the services of a physician, gynecologist, pediatrician, radiologist and dermatologist.
The attendant of the registration counter told The Pioneer that nowadays less than 200 people are registering them for the Out Patients Departments (OPDs) of the hospital daily. The average registration in the hospital some months ago used to be more than 600 per day.
The Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of hospital Dr Bharti Rana told The Pioneer that she has apprised the medical and health directorate about acute shortage of the doctors in the hospital.
To make matters worse for the hospital, one lady Medical Officer (lMO) Dr Rita Bhandari and one gynecologist Dr Aruna Dabral posted in the hospital are attached in the Doon women hospital.
The only physician of the hospital Dr Suresh Kothiyal was sent to Pauri on promotion to the rank of Joint Director recently. The medical and health directorate has attached the radiologist of Premnagar hospital Dr S K Jha for three days in the coronation hospital but in absence of gynecologist and physician this arrangement is of little help.
In absence of required number of doctors the hospital administration is finding it hard to manage the affairs of its six bed emergency services.
The frustrated patients visiting the hospital could be seen arguing at the registration counters with some even insisting to refund the fees they had deposited.
The low patient flow is reflected in the earnings of medicine shops in the vicinity of the hospital and parking space owners. Dhirendra Saklani the owner of parking facility of the hospital said that he is bound to face losses this year due to drop in number of arrival in the hospital.