The District Hospital and District Women hospital in regional headquarter Pauri is facing the acute shortage of doctors for many years and the State Government could not solve the problem due to which the patients had to move Dehradun or other cities for the better treatment.
The Uttarakhand Government has become complete failure to provide the facility of medical treatment in the district hospital of the State leaving aside the rural areas. Even the Government failed to make proper arrangement of the doctors and para-medical staff in the Base Hospital situated in the Srinagar Garhwal.
Despite the fact that the 17 posts were sanctioned for the District Hospital in Pauri, only six doctors are working against the sanctioned post. The hospital also faces the shortage of specialist doctors particularly surgeon, radiologist, pathologist, dermatologist, ENT, eye surgeon etc.
Similarly, the District Hospital (Women) Pauri has only one doctor. Patient coming to the hospital, especially expecting mothers are greeted with more woes than providing medical relief to them. It is a matter of grim concern that the patients largely from rural areas are routinely referred to the Base Hospital, Srinagar Garhwal due to the shortage of doctors. This ends up causing financial stress for the poor patients and their families.
According to Chief Medical Superintendent, District Hospital (Women) Dr S Uniyal said that three new doctors have recently joined the hospital. The sanctioned post for the women hospital is nine. She said that one doctor Dr Poonam Saxena is reported to be absent for the last six months and the action will be taken against her in the coming days.
Dr Uniyal said that after the appointment of the radiologist in the District Hospital, the CT-scan machine will be installed by the Wipro company which is dumped for many months in the hospital. The arrangement for the electricity for the CT scan room is being in progress.
It is to equally important to mention here is that the in the absence of potent transfer policy, medical officers abstain from joining in the higher parts of Uttarakhand. Due to this, those villagers who are living in the remote and mountainous parts of Uttarakhand are forced to traverse several kilometres to access to the medical facilities during emergency. Among the worst sufferers are expecting mothers and road accident victims and their lives jeopardise for hours till they reach at nearby Government district hospitals.