Government to rope in 500 medicos from cities

Mumbai: With several posts for doctors and experts lying vacant in rural areas currently, the state government will rope in 500 medicos from private, state or civic-run hospitals oncontract basis to fill up these vacancies, informed a senior health official on Friday.

The public health department has released an advertisement to recruit gynaecologists, paediatricians and anaesthetists for 65 centres, including rural, sub-district and district hospitals.

However, the biggest stumbling block is that medicos studying in cities are reluctant to serve in rural areas.

The public health department has an endorsed strength of 7,232 doctors, of which nearly 1,200 posts are lying vacant.  Dr. Satish Pawar, head, Directorate of Health Services (DHS) said, “This was the need of the hour. We want doctors in rural areas. We are ready to provide all kinds of facilities but doctors are reluctant to work in these areas. In tribal areas, 70 per cent anaesthetists’ posts are vacant; 40 per cent paediatricians’ posts, and 50 percentgynaecologists’ posts.”

However, Dr. Sagar Mundada, chairman of the youth wing of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said, “We are not complaining about the wages. We do not have enough facilities or the latest technological equipment. In such a scenario, it is next to impossible to work.”

Health officials claimed that despite availability of basic health infrastructure, doctors were unwilling to work in these areas.