Jharkhand Health Sector review flags critical gaps: 85 percent specialist doctor posts lying vacant

This came after a health review survey by the State Health Authorities following the orders of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

As per a recent media report in The Indian Express, the doctor-patient ratio skewed as only 6 doctors are available for per lakh population. Almost 85% of seats for specialist doctors are lying vacant.

At a time like this when COVID has already claimed nearly a thousand lives in the state and there are nearly 2,000 active cases of COVID, this kind of scarcity in the workforce can lead to serious consequences. More than 1 lakh people have been reported as COVID positive in the state so far. As per the daily, the worst figures are marked in the case of specialists.

The review report suggested, "There are only five anaesthetists out of 89, 21 out of 271 paediatricians and eight out of 246 physicians as required in the state. Out of 994 positions, 860 remain vacant."

During the review meeting, it was also found that there was a scarcity of 5,258 doctors in the state according to the Indian Public Health Standards. Considering the projected 2019 population of 3.78 crores in Jharkhand, there are 2,306 doctors in government institutions. It was informed further during the meeting that, "There are 27 beds, six doctors, 1 lab technician, and around three nurses per lakh of population in Jharkhand."