JAIPUR: The state is reeling under a severe shortage of specialist doctors at a time the committee of experts constituted under the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) has warned of the third wave of Covid that could peak in October.
In an RTI reply, the health department has mentioned that 1,161 posts of specialist doctors in districts, sub-district, satellite, community health centres (CHCs) and primary health centres (PHCs) are lying vacant. Even 87 posts of aneesthesia specialists are vacant who help in ICUs and surgeries.
The committee of experts constituted under the NIDM has sought better medical preparedness for children who might beat similar risk as adults. But, in the state, 105 posts of paediatricians are lying vacant. It was revealed in a RTI reply in June.
Moreover, the specialists in medicine, which are the backbone in Covid-19 treatment, are also short in numbers. The state has 192 posts of specialists in medicines are lying vacant in different parts of the state.
A health department official said that in districts more than 35% of the posts for specialist doctors are lying vacant and patients have to travel long distance to get the treatment from specialist doctors and sometimes they do not have options except to get the treatment from the private hospitals. Vacant posts of surgeons are 368 which are highest in comparison to other specialties. In the state, non-performing surgeons are a major issue.
Since Covid may cause mucormycosis and it requires ENT and ophthalmologist for treatment, a lot of hospitals have posts vacant in the two specialties. As many as 96 posts of ophthalmologists and 33 posts of ENT are lying vacant.
