806 Health Dept posts vacant: Parsekar
TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: 806 permanent posts created by the Health Department since January 1, 2011 are yet to be filled, Health Minister Laxmikant Parsekar told assembly Thursday while replying to a question by the former chief minister Digambar Kamat.
Parsekar said that since that day no posts on contract basis were created in the department.
Most of these posts were created on August 16, 2011 including that of 319 servants/attendants at community and sub health centres, 165 posts of staff nurses, 35 posts of medical officers. Just 40 of these 800 posts include those of junior and senior specialist doctors including surgeons, physicians. The lot also includes posts for x-ray technicians, laboratory technicians and the like. The posts also include non-medical posts such as those of clerks and accountants.
Interestingly, there is just one post of a senior psychiatrist been created despite there being a severe shortage of psychiatrists and this has been conveyed to the health department in the State.
The department had also created 67 posts of field workers in June 2012 and seven posts of public health dentists which have also not been filled.
One of the main grouse of doctors working within the public health system is that there is a severe shortage and they are often overworked and called back from leave to attend to patients.
While the Health Minister has in the past claimed to have begun remedying the problem, the department is faced with problems such as persons not applying for the post and dearth of talent in the State.
