Shortage of Doctors cause havoc in State health services

When a separate medical service recruitment board was constituted by the Assam government early this year, there was hope things would improve soon. The APSC earlier used to take its sweet time in appointing doctors and medical practitioners; the large number of vacancies which resulted played havoc with the State health services. The Assam Medical Service Association (AMSA) has pointed out that while around 11,000 doctors are needed to adequately staff State health services, only 2,517 doctors are working vis-a-vis the sanctioned strength of 4,667. There is no end to their appointment and promotion hassles either. Due to a budgeting glitch, doctors recruited before August last have been going without pay for three months now, bemoans AMSA. Meanwhile, in the latest promotion list brought out by Health department, a doctor attached with Barpeta Medical College who had passed away two years back, has been reportedly promoted. As for its transfer policy, Dispur has done little to dispel the impression among doctors that only the well-connected get cushy postings. A similar notion is taking hold of MBBS graduates compulsorily serving in rural areas (as a pre-condition for higher studies), griping as they do about ‘favoured’ counterparts getting posted near towns. The upshot of this mess is that senior doctors are quitting in droves while freshly passed-out doctors are not too keen to join government service either, what with private hospitals beckoning. There is a critical shortage of doctors in several specialties; a crisis of medical faculties is looming too. When WHO norms prescribe 1 doctor for every 1,000 of population and the all-India figure is 1 for 1,596, in Assam it is 1 doctor for nearly 2,000 of population. Leaving out those in private sector, the burden on government doctors can be imagined. If State health services are to remain viable, this mismanagement has to end.