Hindustan TImes | Ludhiana | Updated: Dec 07, 2015 21:33 IST
The local civil hospital, which witnessed the death of three women last week, continues to grapple with staff shortage.
Sources told Hindustan Times that at least 50 posts of staff nurses and more than 20 of Class-4 employees were lying vacant, besides two posts each of gynaecologist and paediatrician.
The mother child hospital, located on the premises of the civil hospital, has been facing staff crunch ever since it became operational in November last year. Several wings of the civil hospital do not have adequate staff for the past about six years. At least 600 deliveries are performed at the hospital in a month.
The hospital authorities had made a request to the Punjab health department last month for filling the posts. A verbal request was made when director, health, HS Bali visited the hospital last week after the three women’s deaths. Amrita, Sujata and Hira Moti had died apparently due to the reaction of injections administered to them during delivery.
A doctor working in the civil hospital said on the condition of anonymity, “Senior functionaries of the health department have been told about the shortage of nurses and specialists, but nothing has been done so far.”
When contacted, Vini Mahajan, principal secretary, health, Punjab, said staff shortage at the Ludhiana civil hospital and the mother child hospital would be overcome soon.
“At a recent cabinet meeting, the state government had approved that all posts of nurses and other staff in hospitals would be filled soon,” said Mahajan.
Senior medical officer (SMO) PS Sidhu was not available for comment.
