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PGIMER Chandigarh awaits cure for staff crunch
Around 22% posts are lying vacant at the PGIMER in Chandigarh, while it battles patient overload from neighbouring states
Catering to a daily average patient load of 9,000 from across the region, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has been battling staff shortage.
The premier health institute has around 7,300 sanctioned posts in various categories, including teaching and non-teaching doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, lab technicians and security staff, among others.
But nearly 22% (1,600) posts are lying vacant, severely impacting the hospital’s functioning and leaving the staff overburdened, especially through the Covid-19 pandemic.
While of the 728 sanctioned posts of doctors — from assistant professors to professors — 127 are lying vacant, as many as 155 out of 2,572 nursing positions also remain unfilled.
On an average, the hospital takes care of 9,000 patients daily, including 8,000 in OPDs alone and 300 at the emergency wing.
Over 35% of the total patients come from Punjab for want of inadequate health facilities back home. This translates into more patient load and referral cases for PGIMER, where the 150-bedded emergency wing runs at double the capacity, hampering patient care.
The Parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare, which shared its 133rd report on the recommendations and observations of various health parameters before the Rajya Sabha on March 24, also pointed out the delay in filling 1,686 posts of various cadres at PGIMER.
In its report, the committee directed the institute to address the shortage of workforce at all levels and fill the vacant posts without further delay. The committee noted that despite the institute filling vacancies twice a year, in July and December, 36 posts of professor against the sanctioned 70 and 91 posts of assistant professor against the sanctioned 652 were lying vacant.
‘Workforce overburdened, health services affected’
Satyaveer Singh Dagur, general secretary, PGI Nurses’ Welfare Association, said looking at the patient load and daily admissions, the nurses had been demanding filling up of vacancies and additional 1,500 posts. “The matter was even taken up with the Union health ministry, but the demand has remained pending for the past five years. Due to acute shortage of nursing staff, those working are harassed with overtime duties and lesser leaves. Nurses are unable to maintain a work-life balance and can take a day off only in case of medical emergency,” he said.
Singh shared that while the only sanctioned post of chief nursing officer at the institute was vacant, as many as 20 out of the 22 posts of deputy nursing superintendent had also not been filed. Similarly, 55 out of 82 posts of assistant nursing superintendent and 60 out of the 543 posts of senior nursing officer were also awaiting personnel.
Dr JS Thakur, professor, department of community medicine and School of Public Health, and president of the PGIMER Faculty Association said, “PGIMER is among the country’s finest government health facilities and is an expert in handling referral and emergency cases. But the hospital is overburdened with patients complaining of minor illnesses. Nonetheless, the short-handed staff tries to manage all patients.”
A senior faculty member, who did not wish to be named, said, “Due to patient load at OPDs and emergencies, the faculty members get no time for research, which is the prime focus of the institute.”
‘Court cases delaying hiring procedures’
Kumar Gaurav Dhawan, deputy director (administration), PGIMER, said, “Most of the posts are lying vacant because of cases pending before high courts or Supreme Court and various tribunals. Also, some posts remain vacant as no one matches the promotion criteria. But recruitments are carried out regularly to ensure patient care does not suffer.”
