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Chandigarh: Long waiting queues at GMSH adding to psychiatric patients’ trauma
The Chandigarh health department has been straining to rope in more regular psychiatrists, but despite repeated advertisements, it has found no takers for the post
For patients struggling with mental health issues, the long waiting time to reach a listening ear at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, is adding to their woes.
Receiving a footfall of over 150 psychiatric patients at its OPD daily, apart from those seeking tele-consultation, the hospital has just two psychiatrists to provide consultations through the day.
On its end, the UT health department has been straining to rope in more regular psychiatrists, but despite repeated advertisements, it has found no takers for the post, which comes with a monthly paycheck of ₹1 lakh under the National Health Mission.
“It takes around 40 minutes to listen to one patient and understand their mental condition and health history. Then each patient presents with a different mental illness, including bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and depression, which lead to a variety of symptoms, such as panic attacks, thoughts of suicide, auditory and visual hallucinations, sadness, hopelessness and anxiety. The doctors also need to perform psychological tests to draw a complete picture of the patient’s mental state. But in the absence of adequate workforce, each patient is not getting the deserved attention, while many return home empty handed,” said one of the psychiatrists working at GMSH-16.
The doctor further said the patient queues had gotten especially longer after the Covid-19 pandemic, with more people facing psychological issues, including breakdowns, suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety and stress, and not every individual could foot the hefty consultation fee charged by private psychiatrists.
‘No response to advertisements’
UT health services director Dr Suman Singh said, “At GMSH-16, we have only two psychiatrists to give consultation to over 150 patients daily. Besides, there is not even a single psychiatrist at any of the three civil hospitals, where we wish to strengthen the OPD services. While we advertise psychiatry posts on regular intervals, mostly every three months, we hardly get any response. Even if a doctor appears for interviews, they do not join their duties, while many prefer to shift to the private sector only months after joining the government service.”
Detailing more reasons, she said psychiatry specialists were few and far between to begin with and then even those who had specialised in various types of behavioural therapy preferred private jobs for fatter returns, Dr Suman said, adding that ideally there should be at least four psychiatrists at GMSH-16 and one each at the three civil hospitals.
She added that the health department could only advertise posts and wait for the doctors to walk-in for interviews.
