E-Paper
Aam Aadmi Clinics: Focus on OPDs may leave emergency services neglected
With Punjab Civil Medical Services doctors posted at the various Primary Health Centres in the state, now being entrusted with the job of running the newly added around 400 Aam Aadmi Clinics , rural emergency services are likely to take a hit.
With the PCMS (Punjab Civil Medical Services) doctors posted at the various Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the state, now being entrusted with the job of running the newly added around 400 Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs), the rural emergency services are likely to take a hit.
Along with running PHCs, these doctors were also performing emergency duties at Community Health Centre (CHCs) at block level but now they are restricted only at OPD services. They were performing emergency duties at CHCs on two days in a week due to acute shortage of PCMS doctors.
The state government has converted around 400 PHCs to AACs and these clinics will provide OPD services and tests will also be done here. No new doctors were hired for running these PHCs.
Besides, national health programs will also be affected as now they will perform only OPD services. Earlier they were also running national programs and organising camps in villages.
Notably, these PCMS doctors posted at the PHCs (now upgraded to AACs), along with the doctors posted at the Block CHCs, were managing round-the-clock emergency services at the block levels, even in the backdrop of an acute shortage of MBBS doctors (emergency medical officers) in the state.
According to the association of PCMS doctors, out of the presently sanctioned cadre of over 4,000 government doctors, almost 1,000 posts are lying vacant. In fact, what is more worrying is that this cadre strength is as per the 1991 cadre review. No cadre review has been done since the last three decades.
According to the norms, CHCs are offering emergency, OPD, IPD services at block level while 5 PHCs work under a CHC and offer only IPD services. Besides, some PHC also give facilities of tests but these facilities are only available at these PHC that do not have the problem of staff shortage.
A civil surgeon, requesting anonymity said, “We are facing problems in providing emergency services at CHCs in my districts and I have written to higher authorities pertaining to the requirement of more doctors.”
Dr Akhil Sarin, PCMSA state president said, “We have apprised the higher authorities of this imminent crisis and have urged the government to ensure ‘additional’ staff recruited via regular channels for the AACs, instead of deputing the ‘existing’ PCMS doctors involved in the maintaining round-the-clock services at the block level. PCMSA would like to suggest a more holistic expansion/development of the health services in the state in a way that the government should go ahead with their poll promise of opening up AACs, but should also focus on filling up the vacancies in the already existing healthcare set up”.
Director health Dr Ranjeet Singh admitted that emergency services will be hit with this move but he claimed that nobody will be deprived from any services, including emergency service.
He said, “Earlier OPD services were being hit at PHCs as doctors were performing emergency service at CHCs and even they work on night shift. Everything is not possible in one go. Now we have improved OPDs services at AACs and other services will be improved soon. However, we will not let anyone be deprived from emergency or any other services anywhere.”
