UP deputy CM finds attendance anomaly at Noida district hospital

During a surprise visit to the district hospital in Gautam Budh Nagar on Monday morning, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brijesh Pathak, who is also the health minister, found that some employees had marked attendance for the next few days in advance.

In a surprise visit, Pathak reached the district hospital in Noida’s Sector 30 early on Monday morning, and much to his dismay found that a few employees had already marked their attendance in advance after he checked the attendance registers.

The chief medical superintendent (CMS) of the hospital has ordered an inquiry and asked the staff for an explanation.

“Three junior staff had marked their attendance in advance. I’ve written to them and asked for an explanation. Necessary action will be initiated against them,” said Dr Vinita Ruia, CMS, district hospital.

The minister also pointed out that the crowd at the medicine and gynaecology departments need to be better managed. He asked officials to ensure that people are able to get their check-ups done and leave within 45 minutes to an hour. The CMS added that she has now written to three doctors who were on leave to return to work immediately.

However, doctors said that overcrowding at the district hospital can only be managed with more staff. While there are around 1,500-2,000 patients daily, there are just three doctors on duty. Out of the sanctioned strength of four general physicians for the medicine department, not even one post has been filled.

There are seven gynaecologists at the hospital, who are all consultants and over 50 years of age. Even the seven female contractual doctors are insufficient to manage the daily rush of over 400 patients at the gynaecology ward. The department has three sanctioned positions and all of them are lying vacant, said hospital sources.

“With the kind of rush in the district hospital, we definitely need more doctors. Many are either retiring or are working post-retirement. Other doctors, including consultants, are working overtime on multiple shifts. We also urgently need more emergency medical officers (EMOs) to cover all shifts regularly. At present, we have only one emergency medical officer,” said Dr Ruia.

Dr Ruia added that currently there are also no general physicians available at the district hospital, in spite of having vacancy for six such doctors. While one general physician has been borrowed from the Covid hospital in Noida, three more chest physicians have been assigned duty in the department under the post-retirement scheme.

Though the district hospital has been reeling under staff shortage for several years, the issue was not highlighted by the administration on Monday.

The minister, meanwhile, also spoke to several patients and took feedback during his visit. Officials said that he seemed content with the general hygiene and sanitation of the hospital. He also met a group of contractual staff who were hired during the Covid-19 crisis. He assured them that their contracts would be renewed soon. Hindustan Times