Maharashtra Govt to recruit 5,000 doctors and healthcare staff amid shortage
Shortage of Doctors
Mumbai: Amid a shortage of doctors and specialists across several healthcare facilities, the Maharashtra government has announced plans to recruit 5,000 doctors and healthcare personnel. The announcement was made by Health Minister Prakash Abitkar on Wednesday.
The health department has been facing a persistent shortage of medical professionals, affecting the functioning of many facilities. To improve healthcare services in rural areas, 450 medical officers have already been appointed, while the process to recruit another 1,500 medical officers is currently underway, reports Hindustan Times.
According to The Daily, the minister said the initiative is aimed at making both newly constructed and currently non-functional healthcare centres operational. Speaking to reporters during the ‘My Village, Healthy Village’ campaign in Pune, Abitkar noted that several health institutions, including First Referral Units (FRUs), are not functioning because of a lack of doctors, while some recently built facilities have yet to begin operations for the same reason.
“The proposal for appointing 5,000 doctors and staff is currently with the High-Power Committee. Approval is expected within a couple of months, after which the manpower will be deployed at these facilities. All non-functional and new healthcare centres will be made operational before the monsoon,” Abitkar said. Speaking at the event, Abitkar said the campaign advocates for prevention over treatment to improve healthcare habits. Having faith in the positive outcome of the initiative and collective effort, he affirmed that the initiative has received a positive response throughout the district.
The campaign utilises community participation and preventive measures to improve rural healthcare this week. Senior officials, including principal secretary (health) Dr Nipun Vinayak, secretary E Ravindran, urban commissioner Dr Sunil Bhokare, Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil, and director of health services Dr Nitin Ambadekar, among others, attended the program.
