Despite struggling with staff crunch in its maternity ward for the past few months, the Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Civil Hospital in Jalandhar carried out the highest number of delivery cases in Punjab in 2013.
Last year, a total of 3,617 delivery cases were carried out by the hospital from April 1 to December 31, at an average of 13 cases a day.
Of the 3,617 cases, 2,163 were normal while 1,454 deliveries were conducted through cesarean. There has been an increase in the number of cases this year. As many as 420 delivery cases, including 131 cesareans, were handled in January this year.
The maternity ward has only 40-bedded facility but due to the under-construction building of mother and childcare centre in hospital, the present ward has turned into 100-bedded facility, including some portions of other wards. Sources said the ward has only four gynecologists and has been getting the services of two other gynecologists of PP ward.
A senior health official said the demands for dedicated staff, separate labour room, operation ward and post-operative care unit, have not been met by the state government. The staff members are working in the maternity ward, he said, adding that it was difficult to run the health facility with only four gynecologists.
{{/usCountry}}A senior health official said the demands for dedicated staff, separate labour room, operation ward and post-operative care unit, have not been met by the state government. The staff members are working in the maternity ward, he said, adding that it was difficult to run the health facility with only four gynecologists.
{{/usCountry}}“I am under pressure most of the time. We are facing difficulty getting weekly off due to huge workload,” said a gynaecologist requesting anonymity. Hospital medical superintendent Dr Jagjit Singh Cheema said the staff at the maternity ward was facing huge workload due to increase in delivery cases.
He said when the new building of mother and child care will open, more staff nurses and staff will be deputed.