Doctors’ Strike Was Only To Browbeat Patiala’s Govt

The strike which was called by the Association of Civil Medial Services, Punjab early this week couldn’t succeed as most of the doctors were on a very weak and imperative footing for being accumulated in a few pockets only, depriving huge communities of people from medical aid. That government has sanctioned total four thousand and one hundred PCMS physicians out of whom seven hundred vacancies are still vacant. The ret three thousand and four hundred doctors are yet to attend the administration work as well as the patients in the twenty two hospitals, forty one sub district hospitals, one hundred and fifty one Community Health centers, four hundred and forty six Primary Health Centers and a lot of dispensaries, ESI and sub centers.

Successive Governments of the state are politicizing about transferring the doctors and favorites somehow managed to obtain the districts of their preference leaving a good number of far away areas of the state, specifically the area in the rural areas in ignorance.

Out of a total of five hundred and twenty three doctors who were conducting a strike, two hundred and fifty ortho pediatricians, gynecologists, radiologists, anesthetists, pediatricians, eye specialists, pathologists and dermatologists including micro biologists and bio chemists, were posted at non sanctioned designations.

According to Health Minister, Madan Mohan Mital, there was a need for rationalizing the medicine services of the specialists of Punjab. “We have not conducted the transfers for punishing anyone. Our goal was for providing health in the whole state.” Added Mittal.

The president of the PCMS association Dr. Hardeep Singh admitted that they had initiated the transfers in order to ensure the specialist’s services at the right place. “The strike happened as the Government was not able put the real motive behind the transfers across to the doctors,” added Hardeep.

HT made enquiries which revealed that out of the sixty pediatricians who are available with the State Government, eighteen were in Mohali as well as Ludhiana until recently. Most of them were working in the dispensaries even though there was no post of a specialist. Ferozepur which is a broad district didn’t even have one pediatrician in the civil hospital of the district.

Out of the two hundred and fifty one gynecologist’ posts, just one hundred and thirty two physicians were available. They were mostly concentrated in Ludhiana, Patiala, Amritsar and Mohali.

Amongst the anesthetists, out of the total one hundred and twenty five designated posts, just seventy seven were available. While these were in excess in the district of Jalandhar and Ludhiana, there was only one doctor against six designated positions. In Muktsar as well as Sangrur, there was just one anesthetist as against seven and eight designated posts

Against the sixty four sanctioned posts of the radiologists, just twenty one are available. In Faridkot, Barnala, Mansa, Ferozpur and Muktsar there was not even a single radiologist.

Amongst the pathologists, out of the eighty eight designated positions only fifty three are available. The District hospital in the district of Muktsar did not have any pathologist; Tarn Tarn had only one pathologist as against the sanctioned posts of three: Faridkot, Bhatinda and Barnala had 1 each against the designated 3, 2 and 6 positions of the pathologists respectively.

Transfer Cases

Dr Renu Sungal, radiologist who was posted in the office of civil surgeons in Ferozpur, in an administrative wing, was being asked to work in the District civil hospital for 3 days in a week.

Dr. Puneet Juneja, pediatrician, posted in the anti retro viral therapy center of Ludhiana was moved to sub district hospital of Pillaur which is twenty kilometers away.