Admitting acute shortage of doctors in government hospitals across the state, the Uttar Pradesh government declared that soon the Provincial Health and Medical Services (PHMS) doctors would be divided into specialist and non-specialist cadres to speed up filling of vacant posts.
The announcement was made by Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh during Question Hour in the Assembly on Monday.
Replying to the question of Sanjay Garg of Samajwadi Party, the Health Minister said that in the last two years, the state government tried to tide over the paucity of doctors by taking various steps, including increasing retirement age of doctors, giving ad hoc appointments to retired doctors and making fresh appointments through Public Service Commission.
“This way, the government managed to get the services of 4,855 doctors. Besides, 2,800 Ayush doctors were sent to PHCs to strengthen basic health facilities. As per the MCI guidelines, they have been allowed to prescribe 15 allopathic medicines. In this way, the services of 7,655 doctors has been made available,” the Health Minister said.
Singh said that there was no differentiation between specialists and non-specialists within the PHMS cadre and this was posing problems in seeking more doctors from Public Service Commission. He said the government had decided to review the cadre and an announcement would be made soon.
The minister said that in the last two years, the government opened 13 new medical colleges and in the next few years, there would be a new generation of trained doctors who in turn would strengthen the cadre strength of doctors by threefold.
When leader of opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary pointed out that there was paucity of pharmacists in rural PHCs, the Health Minister said that 6,154 pharmacists were working against a cadre of 6,180 and so there was no shortage of pharmacists.
When the members demanded that a forensic laboratory be set up at all divisional headquarters, Singh that he would consider their demand.