No end to people’s suffering in Jammu’s rural belt

Jammu, Jul 29: The rural healthcare services continue to remain dismal due to shortage of doctors, while the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu expressed helplessness to persuade doctors to join the village hospitals.
Official sources said that several hospitals and peripheral health care centers in rural areas are facing acute staff shortage. Reliable sources said that there are more than 1000 vacancies of doctors and 5000 vacancies of paramedicos are lying vacant across the Union Territory. Sources said that the Jammu region is particularly affected by this healthcare crisis.
“The Primary Health Centers (PHCs) are operating in a dire state, with no available doctors and insufficient medical infrastructure. Around 165 PHCs are operating without qualified doctors across the Jammu region alone,” sources said.
As per details available only out of 12 Medical Officers only four have been posted in the Sub District Hospital, Bani while eight posts are vacant. Similarly posts of specialties including gynaecologist, anaesthesiologist, physician, paediatrician, Orthopedician, radiologist and dental surgeon are also vacant in the hospital.
The residents said the tehsil having a population of 70,000 with an area of 428.12 sq kilometres sans the basic medical facilities. They said on average 100 patients daily come to OPD for medical checkup. Though the Hospital is 40 years old there is a shortage of the building. Moreover, there are no staff quarters for para medical as well as doctors, they added. The health centre is about 300 kilometers away from district headquarters Kathua and has been in a dilapidated condition for more than two decades now.
The people were also facing problems due to non availability of regular radiologists. After the retirement of a Radiologist was posted in the SDH , now a makeshift basis person conducted examinations once a week.
Dr Rajeev Sharma, Director Health Services, Jammu also admitted that there has been a huge shortage of doctors and medical officers in rural and far-flung areas.
“We are facing a shortage of doctors. Higher-ups have been apprised about the situation. We even contacted Medical College administration to depute resident doctors and several medical officers were appointed for primary health centers and sub district hospitals. However, in the end they refused to join, mainly for pursuing higher studies,” the director said.
The director health however, said that the department is trying its best to run these hospitals as per its best capacity.
“Despite shortage of staff, we are managing makeshift facilities where people are retired. We even make sure that costly equipment like Ultrasound, CT-Scan runs at-least in a week so that machines do not get rusted,” he added.
Other senior officials said most of the young professionals want to pursue higher studies after graduation and in the villages and far off posting they might not get the required ambiance and resources for studies.
The Director Health Services Jammu also admitted the shortage of health staff in rural areas and said posts were advertised and we are hopeful that doctors may join the rural areas soon.