PUNE: A shortage of super-speciality doctors at Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) – one of Maharashtra’s busiest government-run tertiary care centres — is affecting hundreds of patients, who, after travelling long distances every day for advanced medical treatment, are being sent back without expert consultation, forcing them to look for expensive private care or delay essential treatment.
SGH sees around 2,500 to 3,000 outpatient department (OPD) patients daily and performs nearly 500 major and minor procedures. It serves as a referral centre for Pune, Solapur, Satara and other districts. The shortage of super-speciality doctors at SGH means that most vulnerable patients are left without the advanced care that they urgently need.
SGH and B J Medical College (BJMC) have eight approved super-speciality posts of which, only one has been filled. Additionally, there are 24 approved posts of assistant professors in various specialities of which only seven have been filled with 17 lying vacant. SGH has no super-speciality doctors in neurology, nephrology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, critical care medicine, and infectious diseases. The hospital does not have surgical gastroenterology or a surgical specialist, officials said. These specialities are essential for treating complex cases. In their absence however, patients do not receive the advanced care SGH is expected to provide.
A case in point is the 53-year-old man from Satara Civil Hospital who was referred to SGH for tertiary care on November 14. A person with disabilities, the man, a resident of Pimpalwadi, had a history of head injury and seizures, and was referred for opinion and assessment by a neuro-physician. Despite running from pillar to post however, the patient was turned away by SGH due to non-availability of a neuro-physician. A family member requesting anonymity said, “It was shocking to see that a major tertiary care hospital has no neuro doctor. We travelled so far only to return without help.”
{{/usCountry}}A case in point is the 53-year-old man from Satara Civil Hospital who was referred to SGH for tertiary care on November 14. A person with disabilities, the man, a resident of Pimpalwadi, had a history of head injury and seizures, and was referred for opinion and assessment by a neuro-physician. Despite running from pillar to post however, the patient was turned away by SGH due to non-availability of a neuro-physician. A family member requesting anonymity said, “It was shocking to see that a major tertiary care hospital has no neuro doctor. We travelled so far only to return without help.”
{{/usCountry}}The lack of experts has also disrupted administrative responsibilities. Last month, SGH declined to investigate a case of suspected medical negligence involving a fatal liver transplant at Sahyadri Hospital, Deccan, citing the absence of a gastroenterologist and a liver transplant surgeon - both crucial for evaluating such cases. With no specialists available, the probe could not move forward, raising concerns about the hospital’s ability to handle such high-level cases of alleged medical negligence.
In January 2025, SGH and BJMC submitted a proposal to the state government to establish a state-of-the-art 250-bed super speciality hospital and post-graduate institute in Pune. Senior doctors at SGH said that the new facility is essential not only for improving patient care but also for strengthening postgraduate training and attracting highly qualified specialists to government service. However, the proposal remains pending and no progress has been made.
Dr Yallapa Jadhav, medical superintendent, SGH, said, “In case of unavailability of speciality doctors, the patients are referred to J J Hospital, Mumbai. The doctors at the hospital try to provide the medical attention they are capable of but in complex cases, the patients need specialised doctors. Once the posts are filled, we will be able to provide better healthcare and advanced treatment to the public.”