Health facilities mean nothing sans medical personnel to attend to patients: Hill people

DEHRADUN: Locals in Pithoragarh recalled how an ICU was inaugurated at the district hospital with much fanfare and how equipment had been bought in for the benefit of the public. However, years later, most of it has been left neglected because there isn't staff available to handle the technical work and to attend to patients. Locals in hill districts are of the belief that medical equipment and facilities, though very important, don't mean anything till there is medical personnel available.
"Construction of the base hospital has been completed and the health secretary has ordered installation of all equipment but the main problem is the lack of medical, paramedical and technical staff.Infrastructure alone is useless in the absence of trained staff. What is the point of having X-ray machines if there isn't a radiologist to operate it? Four years ago, the then CM had inaugurated the ICU but it is not functioning because the government hasn't appointed staff," said Jagdish Kaloni, a local social worker in Pithoragarh.
This is a common sentiment across the hill districts where equipment and buildings lie in neglect due to lack of personnel. It comes days after state health secretary, Dr R Rajesh Kumar, inspected health facilities in several Kumaon districts like Champwat, Nainital, Pithoragarh etc. Officials agreed that there is a dearth of medical staff and efforts are on to bridge the gap.
"We're working on appointing specialists in not only the hill districts but in other places too. In Champawat district hospital, medical staff will be appointed on priority so that facilities like ICU remain functional for the public. The Pitthoragarh base hospital will be integrated with the medical college soon and doctors will be appointed there," Kumar added.
A hundred ventilators and 200 beds, including 100 ICU beds, are being sent from Nainital to Pitthorogarh following the health secretary's instructions. He said that more doctors are being brought in and the Pitthoragarh base hospital will become functional in less than two weeks.
Currently, there is a shortage of 50% PG staff in the state. There are 536 PG doctors as against 1,236 sanctioned.