The Uttarakhand government has declared hiring 287 doctors to deal with the current shortage of medical practitioners in state-run hospitals. This will be a major boost to healthcare delivery in the hill state, especially in remote and underserved areas, because the appointment process will commence soon.
The officials of the Health and Medical Education Department have indicated that there are a total of 231 direct recruitment posts and 56 backlog vacancies, which have been there waiting to be filled for a number of years. This relocation is against a backdrop of increasing fears regarding poor staffing in government hospitals, particularly the rural facilities where physicians’ accessibility has been low all along.
Doctor shortage has been an old problem in Uttarakhand, and it has been reported that in some districts there have been shortfalls of up to 8090% in Community Health Centres (CHCs). The geographic nature of the state, which is not easy to reach, and the lack of infrastructure have complicated the attraction/retention of medical professionals in the state within the public sector. The crisis has also been exacerbated by the recent audits and court debates over the problem of MBBS graduates not fulfilling their binding obligation to rural service.
According to State Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, the recruitment would be done within the shortest time possible to make sure that new doctors report to their respective posts immediately. He further stated that the government has been going tough on bond-defaulters among the doctors, with 56 absentees already sacked, and this helps in keeping them responsible and opens chances of new appointments.
It is hoped that the new hires will bring about the much-needed healthcare services, such as emergency care, maternal health, primary treatment, and disease surveillance, which have been very hit as a result of understaffing. The districts, including Pithoragarh, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, and Bageshwar, most frequently affected by a shortage, will likely receive considerable relief after the process of recruiting them is over.
The move has been embraced by health care professionals who observe that hiring more doctors is an important move towards ensuring that the public health system in Uttarakhand is enhanced. But they also warn that it will take further actions in the long term, like improvement of medical facilities, working conditions, availability of reliable staff and incentive-based postings in high altitude areas.
The state is trying to fill a severe gap in the healthcare workforce by recruiting 287 doctors. The government hopes that the new appointments will not merely be able to enhance patient care but also create a stronger and more reachable health net on the rugged and varied land of Uttarakhand.
