The government has initiated effective measures to tackle the shortage of doctors in government hospitals in the State, Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar has said.
National Rural health Mission (NRHM) would appoint 200 doctors on contract within a week, to be engaged in government hospitals, Mr. Sivakumar said, while inaugurating the development projects to be completed in the next three years at General Hospital.
The projects are being launched now so that these will be complete when the hospital celebrates its 150th anniversary in another three years.
The current PSC list has 600 doctors. Apart from this, doctors would be appointed through emergency recruitment by the PSC itself. By the beginning of New Year, the government expected to resolve the shortage of doctors in all government hospitals, Mr. Sivakumar said.
The Minister inaugurated the emergency division, surgery, and orthopaedic out-patient clinics, which have been shifted to the new building. He also inaugurated the newly purchased CT Scan, modernised telephone exchange, palliative-care clinic, and an ambulance service on the campus.
The government was very vigilant about the functioning of ward nine. Surveillance cameras had been installed in the ward. As many as 48 inhabitants of the ward had been shifted out for rehabilitation. More beds and manpower had been provided for the ward, he said.
Two more doctors would be appointed in the dialysis unit at General Hospital through the NRHM. Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor inaugurated the new operation theatre of the Ophthalmology Department.
Senior Health Department officials were present at the function.
