Khaneri medical facility grapples with staff shortage

Ashish Negi

Rampur, July 24

The Mahatma Gandhi Medical Services Complex (MGMSC) in Khaneri, which provides specialist healthcare services to patients from four districts, is facing a crisis due to shortage of staff. With a total of 80 vacant positions, including the Chief Medical Superintendent, the facility is struggling to provide essential and emergency services to the patients. In particular, the absence of a radiologist and shortage of staff nurses are affecting even routine operations.

Patients from Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts, the Ani and Nirmand subdivisions of Kullu district and the upper regions of Shimla district rely on the Khaneri facility for specialised healthcare. MGMSC records a daily outpatient department (OPD) footfall of over 1,000 patients, which sometimes reaches up to 1,400.

80 posts vacant

• With a total of 80 vacant positions, including the Chief Medical Superintendent, the facility is struggling to provide essential and emergency services to the patients
• Patients from Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts, the Ani and Nirmand subdivisions of Kullu district and the upper regions of Shimla district rely on the Khaneri facility for specialised healthcare
• MGMSC records a daily OPD footfall of over 1,000 patients, which sometimes reaches up to 1,400
• With average of eight childbirth cases per day, it ranks second in Himachal Pradesh

Additionally, with average of eight childbirth cases per day, it ranks second in Himachal Pradesh.

The absence of a radiologist has forced patients from the rural areas to turn to private ultrasound centres, increasing the financial strain and hardship on them.

The residents have expressed their resentment at the state of affairs, alleging a collusion between the private ultrasound centre operators and the Health Department officials. This, they believed, was the primary reason behind the vacancies at the Khaneri complex.

Kanta Negi, councillor of the Rampur Municipal Council, said despite the high patient footfall at MGMSC, essential services like ultrasound could not be performed due to the absence of a radiologist and insufficient number of staff nurses. She appealed to the state government to promptly fill these vacancies, in view of the hardship faced by pregnant women.

Social worker Pawan Negi said that the ongoing problems were caused by staff shortage. He said the nine posts — including eight of doctor and a radiologist — were vacant and only 24 out of the 38 posts of nurse were filled. He stressed the importance of the facility for patients from the four adjoining districts.

Acting Medical Superintendent Dr Padam Sharma confirmed the daily OPD footfall of 1,000 to 1,400 patients and an average of 240 childbirth cases at Khaneri.

He acknowledged the adverse impact of the vacancies on the services, but assured that efforts were being made to provide uninterrupted healthcare to the people.