Shimla, 03 September:Â The Himachal Pradesh High Court has raised serious concern over the government’s delay in filling up several vacant posts in the state’s health services. A division bench headed by Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao and Justice Satyen Vaidya questioned the health secretary about the long-standing vacancies of 1,450 posts, including doctors and other medical staff, in various health centres across the state.
During the proceedings, the court expressed dissatisfaction over the government’s apparent laxity in addressing the issue and sought a clear timeline for filling up these crucial posts. The bench sought an explanation for the delay and asked the government to clarify its position by September 16.
In the status report submitted by the government, it was revealed that 25 medical officers have been appointed in various primary health centres (PHCs) recently. Additionally, 33 out of 49 surplus medical officers, who were not posted earlier, have now been placed on vacant posts.
The report also mentioned that the government is drafting a plan to fill 1,450 other healthcare posts, including 200 doctors. However, the court found that the report lacked a specific time frame for completing these appointments, prompting the bench to insist on a more concrete timeline.
The court’s concerns grew after it learnt about the shortage of staff at the Rohru hospital, where 13 of the 33 staff nurse posts are expected to be filled from the waiting list prepared by the Public Service Commission, while the remaining 20 will be filled in batches. The court noted with surprise that the same information was provided two months ago, but little progress has been made since then.
Additional to the urgency of the matter, the high court took strong cognizance of a news report that highlighted the severe staffing issues at the Rohru hospital. The report indicated that the hospital receives nearly 400 outpatient cases per day, yet nearly half of the 31 nurse posts are vacant. Similarly, most of the posts of nine pharmacists are vacant, leading to a situation where doctors are forced to perform tasks such as wound dressing in the absence of para-medical staff.
Given the serious nature of these shortages, the High Court has ordered the government to take immediate action and resolve the staffing issues without any delay. The court will continue to monitor the situation, with the next hearing scheduled for September 16.
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