The Uttarakhand High Court has admitted a Public Interest litigation in connection with the problems being faced in health services due to shortage of doctors in Pauri district hospital and directed the respondent State Government to file the response within four weeks.
The High Court has also directed the respondent that rejoinder affidavit, if any, may be filed within two weeks. Uttarakhand High Court Justice BS Verma and Justice Sarvesh Kumar Gupta admitted the PIl by social worker Raghubir Singh Rawat, resident of Thana Mohalla, Pauri and directed the respondent in presence of advocate Vinodanand Barthwal representing the petitioner and KP Upadhyaya standing council for the State.
Barthwal told The Pioneer that the PIl filed by Rawat states that only five of the 22 posts of doctors are occupied in the Pauri district hospital. The public had protested against the protracted shortage of doctors here during the past few years demanding proper medical facilities for Pauri and neighbouring rural areas. However, the government has not yet been able to provide the required number of doctors here.
Due to the shortage of doctors, the patients are being referred to other hospitals out of the district for treatment. The post of gynaecologist has been vacant for the last one year and only contractual doctors are appointed for gynaecology and most of cases the patient have been referred to other hospitals, which proves inconvenient to patients especially those from remote rural areas who have to bear greater financial burden.
The PIl further states that none of the doctors had joined duty in the State after passing out from the Sushila Tiwari Medical College Haldwani. These doctors had paid only Rs 15000 per annum for the course due to the relaxation in fee facilitated by the State government. The petitioner requested the high court to give interim relief by instructing the respondent to appoint cardiologist, ENT, radiologist, gynaecologist and physician so that the minimum requirement could be fulfilled.