Ulhasnagar: How does a hospital function with five doctors?

Only five of 16 doctor posts at Ulhasnagar Central Hospital are filled

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Medical Assistance Cell may be helping people, but the Kalyan Dombivli constituency, where his doctor son Shrikant Shinde is Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), is facing a gross scarcity of doctors at its government hospital. The state-run Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar has 70 per cent posts of doctors vacant. It is the same hospital where a doctor allegedly refused to deliver the baby of an Adivasi woman, which led to the foetus dying in the womb.

Patients are being forced to run from pillar to post for treatment due to the lack of doctors at the Central hospital. During a visit, mid-day found that only five of 16 posts of doctors were filled. The hospital is dependent on ‘on-call' doctors, who people said are unavailable during an emergency.

Officials in despair

Speaking to mid-day, a senior official from Ulhasnagar Central Hospital said, "Eleven of 16 posts of doctors are vacant and one doctor is absent. That means only five posts of doctors are filled. How are we going to provide services to patients? The hospital has appointed on-call doctors but they come only when free, as they are busy with private practice."

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Scrap equipment dumped on the premises of the hospital

Many locals complained that referral is a common practice at this hospital and doctors don't give any valid reason while telling patients to move to Kalwa Hospital. The hospital doesn't have an additional district surgeon, resident medical officer (outreach), medical officer (physician), medical officer (surgery), medical officer (gynaec), anaesthetist, radiologist, psychiatrist, dermatologist, TB specialist and an ENT specialist. The hospital only has a district civic surgeon, paediatrician, orthopaedic doctor, anaesthetist (but he/she is absent) and physiotherapist.

A senior official from the Directorate of Health Services said, "Every year, hundreds of posts across the state are filled but unfortunately the doctors leave the job. Some leave because of further studies, while some leave due to monetary reasons." During our visit to the hospital, mid-day found that the infrastructure also needs to be updated. In the casualty building on the ground floor, there is a common toilet for men and women. The toilet was in a pathetic condition. There was no tap in the basin. The hospital has also dumped all scrap equipment on its premises. mid-day's attempts to speak to MP Shrikant Shinde were in vain.

Pregnant woman refused treatment

On March 20, a resident of Lakhyachiwadi, Karjat, Sangeeta Pawar, a nine months pregnant woman, went to the sub-district hospital in Karjat after experiencing pain in her abdomen. Due to complications she was referred to Ulhasnagar Central Hospital. The doctor admitted the patient at around noon but around 5 pm they told her kin to move her to a Kalwa Hospital for further treatment without citing any reason. The family waited for an ambulance which didn't arrive till 8 pm, so the family took her in a private ambulance and on the way Pawar gave birth to a stillborn baby. The Civil Surgeon of Central Ulhasnagar Hospital issued a show-cause notice to Dr Kasam Dalwai, gynaecologist at Ulhasnagar Hospital, seeking an answer as to why he didn't perform the delivery. mid-day visited the hospital last week and found that many posts of doctors are still vacant. Speaking to mid-day, Directorate of Health and Services Dr Swapnil Lale, said, "We are recruiting doctors through MPSC. We have given power to district Collectors to recruit contractual doctors. We are also sending bonded candidates to hospitals. Will see that posts are filled. We are also investigating the matter of refusal of delivery of the pregnant woman and action will be taken."