The acute shortage of radiologists could mar health department’s plan to provide 24x7 radiology facilities in Doon group of hospitals. The Doon hospital and Doon women hospital here have services of only one radiologist each and all the efforts of hospital administration to rein in private radiologists for these hospitals have failed.
The health department plans to combine the radiology departmentd of both Doon and Doon women hospital and open facilities like Ultra sound, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and CT scan for 24 hours a day.
However the shortage of specialists raises question marks over the plan of the department. In Doon hospital Dr Yatindra Singh is the only radiologist posted by the department. In view of the huge flow of patients the health department attached Dr SK, Jha who is posted at Coronation hospital for three days a week. In Doon Women hospital too there is only one radiologist, Dr Subodh Nautiyal. “Both these hospitals at least need four more radiologists for smooth functioning of OPDs and emergency cases. How in absence of radiologists the Government is thinking of providing 24 hour facilityIJ” questioned one of a doctor of the hospital.
It is worth mentioning here that the health department tried to deploy some private radiologists in the hospital but it failed in the attempt as the offer `1 lakh per month was not enough to entice the radiology specialists.
The Principal Medical Superintendent (PMS) of Doon Hospital Dr R S Aswal told The Pioneer that the existing radiologists are already catering the emergency services. He said that the M S Gynecology doctors are entitled to report the ultrasound of expectant mothers.