Political leaders and senior bureaucrats paid tributes to the state’s first Chief Minister, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar, on his birth anniversary on Tuesday. Ironically, a premier healthcare institution named after Parmar in his home district of Sirmaur presents a sorry picture — crumbling infrastructure, shortage of specialists. At Dr YS Parmar Government Medical College, Nahan, both male and female patients requiring surgery are at present sharing the same ward and a common toilet as the female surgical ward is not available due to the prolonged retrofitting work. Patients and their attendants say that the arrangements at the hospital raise serious concerns about privacy and dignity.The Public Works Department (PWD) has been carrying out the retrofitting work on the building for more than a year. Officials had to replace damaged plaster and strengthen the roof but the ward is yet to be handed over to the medical college. The Executive Engineer, PWD, Nahan, says that the remaining work will be completed and the building handed over to the medical college within about 15 days.The infrastructure crisis at the hospital has compounded due to an acute shortage of doctors. The functioning of the Radiology Department has come to a complete halt after the retirement of its head Dr Dinesh Sharma on Friday last week. As two radiologists had resigned earlier and another was transferred to Hamirpur, there is no radiologist in the medical college.As a result, ultrasound, CT scan and several other diagnostic services have been disrupted at the hospital, forcing patients to undergo tests at private diagnostic centres at high costs.The medical college has eight sanctioned posts in the Radiology Department (five Senior Residents, one Assistant Professor, one Associate Professor and one Professor-cum-Head) but all are vacant. There are also no Junior Resident in the Radiology Department.The Central Government had approved the medical college in 2013 and it became operational in 2016. However, it is still facing a shortage of specialist doctors, nurses and technical staff. Cardiology services have also not been introduced in the medical college, leaving Sirmaur without a government facility offering dedicated cardiac care.Principal of the college Dr Sangeet Dhillon acknowledges that all sanctioned posts in the Radiology Department are vacant. She adds that the matter has been taken up with the state government and a detailed proposal seeking the immediate filling of vacancies has been submitted.

Original source: in