STATE OF HOSPITALS: Tanda medical college faces infra pangs amid rising patient demand
Tanda medical college, the premier healthcare institution in lower Himachal Pradesh, is grappling with critical shortages of senior faculty and infrastructure, causing extended wait times and overcrowded conditions for patients. According to data obtained by The Tribune, around 60 senior faculty positions, including those for professors and associate professors, remain vacant across multiple departments.
Long wait for surgeries
Sources indicate that the last scheduled surgery in the ENT Department is currently set for October 27, 2025, and the waitlist is expected to grow as the state government has recently halted the Himcare scheme for private hospitals, further burdening the college.
Key challenges
- As many as 60 senior faculty positions vacant, including professors and associate professors
- Super-specialty departments severely understaffed (e.g., oncology, emergency medicine, neurology, nephrology).
- Inadequate infrastructure as 1,200 patients admitted, exceeding sanctioned 866 beds though the medical college has stretched this to 1,050 to meet demand
Consequences
- Overcrowding and extended wait times
- Insufficient critical care
- Doctors forced to discharge patients prematurelyn Non-functional 200-bed Mother and Child Hospital due to pending fire safety approvals
Solution
- Filling vacant faculty positions
- Completing fire safety modifications for new hospital with additional grant of Rs 4 crore
- Operationalising Mother and Child Hospital to alleviate patient load
Some super-specialty departments are operating with minimal staff. For instance, the Oncology Department currently has only one assistant professor, while one professor, one associate professor and another assistant professor position are vacant. The Department of Emergency Medicine faces similar shortages, with two designated associate professors managing in place of a full faculty, leaving posts for one professor, one associate professor and three assistant professors unfilled.
The Neurology Department has only one professor, with other senior posts vacant, while the Nephrology Department is functioning with a single assistant professor in place of the required faculty. This shortage has led to prolonged waiting times for surgeries. The ENT Department, in particular, has a waiting period extending up to a year, while surgery and orthopedics patients are waiting between three weeks and two months for procedures.
Sources indicate that the last scheduled surgery in the ENT Department is currently set for October 27, 2025, and the waitlist is expected to grow as the state government has recently halted the Himcare scheme for private hospitals, further burdening the college.
Additionally, Tanda medical college is struggling with inadequate infrastructure. As the only government super-specialty hospital in lower Himachal, the college is under immense strain, and the administration is forced to accommodate two or even three patients per bed. The hospital has a sanctioned capacity of 866 beds but has stretched this to 1,050 to meet demand. Yet, with an average of around 1,200 patients admitted, the situation remains challenging.
The Gynaecology and Medicine Departments are particularly affected, as their patient loads exceed those of other departments. Doctors have reported, under anonymity, that they attempt to discharge patients as soon as possible to free up beds, but these efforts are insufficient to manage the high influx of patients requiring critical care.
To address these issues, a 200-bed Mother and Child Hospital was constructed within Tanda medical college with a grant of Rs 40 crore from the Central Government. However, this facility, completed two years ago, remains non-functional due to pending approval from the fire department.
The department has withheld the required no objection certificate (NOC) because the building lacks essential fire safety features, such as a ramp and overhead water tank. An additional Rs 4 crore is required to complete these modifications, and once operational, this new hospital is expected to alleviate some of the patient load and bed shortages within the main facility.
Dr Milap Sharma, the principal of Tanda Medical College, was unavailable for comment on the situation.
