UP Govt admits 5,000 doctor vacancies; HC demands data

Lucknow: After the Uttar Pradesh government accepted a shortage of nearly 5,000 doctors across its hospitals and medical colleges, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Monday directed the state to provide district-wise data of hospitals, including the sanctioned strength and the number of currently employed doctors and medical staff.

This order was passed by a bench of Justices Rajan Roy and Rajiv Bharti on a public interest litigation filed in 2017 by the Viraj Khand Resident Welfare Society.

The petition sought guidelines for proper medical care for patients in the state.

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According to the PTI report, responding to the petition, the state government counsel stated that while 19,659 posts of doctors are sanctioned in the Provincial Medical Health Services cadre, only 11,018 doctors are currently employed on a regular basis, with 283 on a redeployment basis, and 404 through walk-in interviews.

The government further stated that 2,508 doctors are employed through the National Health Mission, making the total number of doctors in the state 14,213.

In response, the court stated that these figures clearly indicate a shortage of at least five thousand government doctors in the state.

In a large state like Uttar Pradesh, the availability of qualified doctors is crucial for the healthy lives of its residents, said the bench, reports PTI.

The bench directed the state government to file a better affidavit and provide district-wise details of the state government hospitals and medical colleges, the number of sanctioned positions for doctors and paramedical staff, and how many are actually employed.

The next hearing in the case will take place after two months.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that Odisha has failed to meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended ratio of one doctor per 1,000 people, with one doctor currently serving 1,735 residents. The state is facing a shortfall of nearly 4,900 doctors against the 15,774 sanctioned posts for Medical Officers.

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