Patients, Attenders Forced to Wait for Hours at the Pharmacy and Laboratory for Medicines and Tests
Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 1: The Pharmacy Counter and Laboratory at the newly inaugurated District Hospital, Garacharma today almost collapsed functioning due to overcrowding of patients and attenders. The reason is said to be shortage of staffs at the District Hospital. The patients were made to wait for hours to get their medicines and tests done.
Sources indicate that the total strength of Pharmacists in the District Hospital is 8 while only 4 Pharmacists have been posted to cater to the patients. Meanwhile there is again a 50% shortage of Lab Assistants, with sanctioned posts of 6 and 3 Lab Assistants posted. Sources also indicate that though the earlier Primary Health Centre has been converted to Andaman’s District Hospital, the strength of staffs remains the same as it used to be in the Primary Health Centre. It is also gathered that in the name of increasing the staff strength, near about 100 house keeping staffs have been appointed, while the professional posts have been ignored.
The inauguration of District Hospital at Garacharma though has come as a great convenience to the patients with Specialists Doctors now rendering their services at the hospital, the insufficient professional staffs is making it difficult for the patients. It can be hoped that the Directorate of Health Services would pay immediate attention to this serious issue and fill the vacant posts at war footing, to avoid commotion at the hospital in the days to come.