Admitting acute dearth of doctors and other medical staff in State, Jharkhand Health Minister Ram Chandra Chandravashi promised to bring radical change in health services within next five months across the State.
“Aiming to strengthen the medical and healthcare facilities in state new doctors and paramedical staffs would be deployed very soon. Hope issue will be solved by June this year”, minister added.
We are planning to appoint B Sc passed students as paramedical staffs in the hospitals on contract after successful completion of their three years training programme, said Chandravanshi while talking to the media persons at Circuit House Bokaro.
The foundation stone of three medical colleges in Jharkhand at Dumka, Palamu and Hazaribag are scheduled to be laid on 23 February by the central health minister, he said The DPR of 500-bed medical college at Bokaro is on board, erection will be started soon”.
Meanwhile, several units at Sadare Hospital Bokaro are closed since past 45 days due to shortage of doctors and other medical staffs. Newly erected dialysis unit is yet to take a kick start, its inauguration was scheduled on 26 January this year, said an official source.“The Dental department and Ultrasonography units are closed since past few days, though we are struggling hard to restore those medical services earliest, said Dr Arjun Prasad Assistant Superintendent of Sadar Hospital Bokaro district.
“Shortage of doctors and other medical staffs are affecting hard on health services but amid all odds, we are trying to provide best”, he added. With an estimated expenditure of ten crore rupees the A block of the hospital was inaugurated in November 2013 at Bokaro. This 100 bed new hospital has several units includes, gynaecology, pediatrics, cardiology, burns, orthopedics, skin, and eye units; equipped with outdoor, surgery, scanning, ultrasound facilities.
Since after 16 years of inception of state, common citizens still continue to miss even the most basic of health services. According to the rough estimate, Jharkhand has shortage of about 7000 doctors.
As far as specialist doctors are concerned, the situation is even more glaring; the state having shortage of more that 80 specialists till date, sources said.