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Ludhiana civil hospital: Patients endure long waits in OPD due to shortage of doctors
The shortage of doctors at the OPD often leaves less than a minute of the physician’s time for diagnosis and prescription
: The patients at the civil hospital here have been forced to endure long waits and rushed consultations at the facility’s outpatient department (OPD) due to the recent resignation of a medical expert, which has left the visitors dependent on a lone doctor.
The shortage of doctors at the OPD often leaves less than a minute of the physician’s time for diagnosis and prescription. This alarming scenario stands in stark contrast to the norms of the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), which recommend a maximum of 60 patients per doctor during a six-hour shift.
At the Ludhiana civil hospital, doctors are inundated with over 300 patients per shift.
The hospital management has temporarily appointed two doctors, with one for Mondays and Thursdays and another for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. However, the situation worsened when one of them took leave on Thursday and another on Friday and Saturday, leaving the OPD with only one doctor.
Senior medical officer Dr. Harinder Sood said, “The post from which the doctor resigned has not been officially marked as vacant due to some technical issues. This is why a permanent replacement has not been deployed thus far. However, temporary arrangements have been made by the authorities to ensure the convenience of the patients.”
