J A L A N D H A R

Shortage of doctors in civil hospitals, PHCs
Jalandhar, April 16
Patients in rural as well as semi-urban areas of Doaba region are suffering due to shortage of doctors at civil hospitals, dispensaries and Primary Health Centres (PHCs).

Over 1000 encroachments removed
Jalandhar, April 16
The illegal buildings are going down and the anger too, even though seven leaders of the BJP’s SC Morcha, including its president, courted arrest today in protest against the Municipal Corporation’s (MC) demolition drive in Bhagro Camp area that began here yesterday. The drive is likely to continue for a few more days.

Residents of the Bhargo Camp area in Jalandhar collect water from a tanker sent by the Municipal Corporation on Sunday. — Photo by S.S. Chopra

Inquiry into water scheme
Kapurthala, April 16
The district administration has ordered an inquiry into the non-implementation of the water supply scheme at Ibrahimwal village near here.

Immunisation cover touches 99 pc
Phagwara, April 16
Notwithstanding the human resource crunch in the health domain, the immunisation coverage in the state has touched 99 per cent in 2004-2005. The state now aims to ensure a cent per cent rate in vaccine penetration.

Shortage of doctors in civil hospitals, PHCs
Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 16
Patients in rural as well as semi-urban areas of Doaba region are suffering due to shortage of doctors at civil hospitals, dispensaries and Primary Health Centres (PHCs).

There are also allegations that the doctors and other health officials have a callous attitude towards the working of government hospitals and dispensaries.

Even in Hoshiarpur, the hometown of the Punjab Health Minister, Mr Romesh Dogra, who has repeatedly been making statements about proposed recruitment of doctors, there is a shortage of government doctors. Same is the case with the districts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr.

A survey conducted by a government agency paints a poor picture of the state of affairs in government-run hospitals, dispensaries and PHCs, particularly the ones located in rural and semi-urban areas.

The survey report mentions that people in these districts are not only facing a shortage of doctors at these hospitals and PHCs, but are also occasionally coming across “frowning by doctors till they shell out private fee or are able to exert some influence”.

The report also says that a large number of doctors are regularly absent from day duties in rural dispensaries and in their absence, pharmacists or nurses attend the patients.

The report adds that a number of doctors are not only doing private practice, running their own hospitals and clinics, but are also generally found recommending laboratory tests from private laboratories.

The survey mentions that facilities for medical tests in several government hospitals is not up to the mark despite having a fully-qualified staff.

According to the report, the sanctioned strength of doctors in government hospitals for the Jalandhar district is 303, but only 285 are on duty.

In Kapurthala, against a sanctioned strength of 157, just 136 doctors are working. In Phagwara, against 113 only 84 doctors are on duty. The gap is biggest in Hoshiarpur.

The state Health Minister had promised that the Punjab Health Department would recruit 1300 doctors.

Health authorities attribute the shortage of doctors to non-recruitment of medicos in the state after 1999. The PCMS Association, Punjab, is demanding fresh recruitments in the state at the earliest.

Another aspect brought to light by the report is that the “doctors are more interested in attending medico-legal cases than taking care of regular patients”.

Health experts say these reasons are discouraging patients from coming to government-run hospitals, and their place is slowly being taken over by private and charitable hospitals.

The report mentions that if a government doctor on an average attends five to 13 patients on a daily basis, a doctor posted in a private or charitable hospital attends between 20 and 35 patients daily.

Over 1000 encroachments removed
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 16
The illegal buildings are going down and the anger too, even though seven leaders of the BJP’s SC Morcha, including its president, courted arrest today in protest against the Municipal Corporation’s (MC) demolition drive in Bhagro Camp area that began here yesterday. The drive is likely to continue for a few more days.

The residents of the area, for the second day, kept waiting for the MLA of the constituency, Mr Mohinder Singh Kaypee. He did not turn up.

The area was also devoid of any electricity or water supply for the second day. The MC authorities said the supply was cut off to avoid accidents during the demolitions.

Over 1000 encroachments have been razed by vehicles of the MC in the area since yesterday.

The Mayor, Mr Surinder Mahey, said that though the High Court had ordered the demolition of 1,979 structures, the MC was targeting all encroachments in the area.

He said the authorities might think of rehabilitating those worst-affected by the demolitions. “The issue should not be politicised and a solution must be worked at,” he added.

Former BJP MLA, Mr Chunni Lal, blamed the ruling party in the state for the fiasco. He demanded compensation and allotment of new plots to the affected. “The case should have been advocated better on the behalf of the residents who have been living in the area since 1948,” he said.

The Municipal Town Planner, Mr Tarlok Singh, claimed that the operations went on peacefully today.

He said four ditch machines removed over 700 encroachments in both residential premises as well as commercial establishments today.

“The power and the water supply was stopped from 7 in the morning till after 3 in the afternoon to avoid any possible mishaps in the area due to uprooted or low-lying wires.

Mahinder Singh Kaypee was not available for comments, as his cell phone was switched off. 

Inquiry into water scheme
Tribune News Service

Kapurthala, April 16
The district administration has ordered an inquiry into the non-implementation of the water supply scheme at Ibrahimwal village near here.

Instructions have been sent to Bholath SDM by the Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner, Mr Raminder Singh, to conduct an inquiry. The village falls under the Nadala block of the Bholath subdivision.

Ms Nirmal Kaur, Chairperson of the Nadala Block Samiti, brought the issue of the non-implementation of the scheme to the notice of Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal, Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha and a Member of Parliament from Phillaur.

The chairperson of the samiti alleged that the village panchayat was issued a bill amounting to Rs 38,000, but the scheme was never commissioned by the Public Health Department, since the construction of an overhead tank spending lakhs of rupees seven years back. 

Immunisation cover touches 99 pc
Anil Jerath
Tribune News Service

Phagwara, April 16
Notwithstanding the human resource crunch in the health domain, the immunisation coverage in the state has touched 99 per cent in 2004-2005. The state now aims to ensure a cent per cent rate in vaccine penetration.

The Punjab Health and Family Welfare Director, Dr G.L. Goyal, said this recently, adding that a new plan was being threshed out on the lines of pulse polio programme focusing on uncovered urban and rural peripheral areas, as also the slum areas and the brick-kilns.

“New initiatives have been undertaken at the national level for strengthening the immunisation coverage requiring vaccination of all children under one year of age with all the six vaccines, including boosters,” Dr Goyal said.

“If any child misses any of the doses of the six vaccines of BCG, DPT (triple antigen) polio and measles, including any booster, the child will not be considered fully immunised,” he added.

Dr Goyal said that some children were often left out in getting vaccinated due to neo-urbanisation and increase in the number of slums.

“Fortunately, no case of polio virus was reported in the state last year and neither has any polio case been detected this year,” he claimed.

Dr Goyal added that no additional rounds of pulse polio were undertaken in the state in the past three years, as compared to many other states.

“To ensure a cent per cent immunisation, senior officers, including DFW, state immunisation officer, civil surgeons and the SMOs, will undertake supportive supervision,” Dr Goyal said.