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PMC takes help from private hospital to offer free specialised medical services
There is a shortfall of nearly 74% in terms of specialist doctors at PMC-run hospitals which makes it difficult to provide specialised medical care at civic facilities
Given the acute shortage of expert doctors in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)-run hospitals, the PMC health department has reached out to Dr D Y Patil Hospital and Research Centre for their support in offering free specialised medical services to needy patients at PMC-run hospitals.
There is a shortfall of nearly 74% in terms of specialist doctors at PMC-run hospitals which makes it difficult to provide specialised medical care at civic facilities. After the PMC health department reached out to Dr D Y Patil Hospital and Research Centre for their support, officials from the latter, too, agreed to begin providing free healthcare facilities.
As per PMC officials, the initiative is the brainchild of PMC health chief Dr Nina Borade. As part of this programme, specialist doctors including gynaecologists, paediatricians, dermatologists and ENT (ear-nose-throat) specialists among others have started offering their services at the PMC-run (late) Droupadabai Murlidhar Khedekar General Hospital, Bopodi, in October. This pilot project has received an overwhelming response from patients, prompting the PMC to expand it to other civic facilities.
As per officials, the response at Khedekar General Hospital has been good with the number of outpatients soaring from the previous 1,500 to 1,600 to now over 3,000 patients a month. The same facility will also get a dental unit which will be a full-fledged facility that will be operational in one week. Besides, a physiotherapy unit will also start in a couple of weeks at the same hospital.
Meena Jadhav (name changed), a 42-year-old resident of Bopodi, said, “I was struggling to get an appointment with a specialist for my skin condition. Thanks to this initiative, I could consult a dermatologist at Khedekar Hospital without any delay or extra cost.”
Similarly, Ravi Deshmukh (name changed), a 30-year-old daily wage worker, shared his experience. “My son needed to see a paediatrician, but private clinics were too expensive. Here, we got free and quality treatment. This initiative is a blessing for families like ours,” Deshmukh said.
Dr Borade said that looking at the response from citizens and patients, they have decided to expand the programme to another PMC-run hospital. “We have decided to expand the initiative to the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Yerawada. This will help needy patients at large and is a win-win situation for both patients and the PMC,” she said.
Meanwhile, the appointment of specialised doctors in PMC-run hospitals is in process, Dr Borade said. However, PMC-run hospitals often face shortage of expert doctors, making it difficult for patients to get specialised treatment. “Many patients, especially from low-income backgrounds, depend on government hospitals for healthcare. By including private doctors in this effort, the PMC aims to improve medical services without adding extra costs for patients,” she said.
