Jalandhar Civil Hospital reels under severe Staff Crunch
Faculty Shortage
Jalandhar: The Jalandhar Civil Hospital is reeling under a significant shortage of staff, particularly in the medical officer and nursing departments. With 68 Medical Officer posts and 127 nursing posts lying vacant, the hospital's functionality has been severely impacted.
The hospital, one of Punjab’s busiest government hospitals, is struggling with a severe staff shortage that is significantly impacting its day-to-day operations and patient care. The 500-bed hospital, which sees more than 1,200 to 1,500 patients every month, serves not just Jalandhar city but also nearby rural areas. Despite its heavy workload, the hospital is working with many fewer doctors, nurses, and support staff than needed.
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According to hospital records, only 85 out of the 154 sanctioned Medical Officer (MO) posts are filled, leaving 68 (44 per cent) vacant. According to national health standards (IPHS), the hospital actually requires 171 MOs in total, which means that 17 more MO posts are needed to meet the criteria.
The nursing department is in even greater crisis. With 210 approved nursing posts, only 83 are filled. While the hospital ideally needs between 400 and 500 nursing staff, it is only operating with 83 nurses, and 127 posts are lying vacant. These posts include nursing sisters, staff nurses and nursing superintendents. According to the IPHS norms (2022), the hospital should have at least 410 nurses in total, meaning that an additional 200 posts should be sanctioned.
Similarly, there is also a shortage of paramedical staff, which has left several wards in disarray. Due to the critical shortage, several wards, including the TB, ENT, orthopaedics, and even the new burn/ICU, remain shut down. Currently, the hospital is functioning with 586.
For now, the DNB programme is helping the hospital meet the requirement for doctors to some extent, but it's a temporary solution. For the hospital to function smoothly, it requires the exact number of medical staff needed.
Even though the hospital authorities repeatedly submitted demands for more staff to the state government, no action has been taken so far to fill the vacancy at the hospital.
Speaking on this, Medical Superintendent Dr Rajkumar told The Tribune, "We keep sending staffing demands to the state government. Our DNB programme is helping us meet the requirement for doctors to some extent. The government is also in the process of recruiting and conducting interviews for staff nurses, specialists and MOs. However, the most serious shortage right now is of nursing and paramedical staff. We also need super-specialist doctors in cardiology, neurology, urology, etc. The request has been sent several times. In addition, ICU technicians are also urgently required."
A senior doctor at the hospital said, "Over 30 passouts from the DNB programme indicate our need for specialists. Although we have competent doctors, the inefficiency in services can only be resolved once the staffing needs are met. Currently, we are heavily understaffed."
