Nagpur: The amicus curiae assisting Nagpur bench of Bombay high court flagged an acute shortage of support staff and nursing personnel at govt medical hospitals and colleges (GMCHs) in Vidarbha, besides raising concerns over the reduction and diversion of faculty posts at GMCH here.The submission came during the hearing of a suo motu PIL on the condition of healthcare services and infrastructure in GMCHs across Vidarbha, including instances where patients’ family members were forced to manually transport patients because of a shortage of attendants despite the availability of stretchers and wheelchairs.Amicus Isha Thakre in a note submitted to HC said Group-C and Group-D manpower had earlier been engaged on contractual, temporary, daily-wage and similar arrangements at GMCHs across Maharashtra, but such engagements were no longer being made. “This resulted in a shortage of attendants and other essential manpower,” she said. She demanded that adequate funds and required manpower should be made available.Her note also highlighted the expansion of specialised services at GMCH Nagpur, including liver and heart transplants, electrophysiology, robotic surgery and Cath Lab services. Despite the expansion and increased patient footfall at the main hospital, trauma centre and super-specialty hospital, the nursing staff strength stood at 1,207, with 116 posts vacant, the amicus said.Thakre urged that the vacant nursing posts be filled, and additional posts created wherever necessary to ensure patient care and the functioning of the hospitals.The amicus also raised concerns over the new staffing pattern introduced by the Department of Medical Education and Research (DMER) through a govt resolution dated Aug 18. She said the revised pattern, based on student strength, resulted in the reduction of one professor, two associate professors, and three assistant professors from the Anatomy department at GMCH here.According to the note, the reduction of five posts could affect the approval of other faculties. The Maharashtra State Medical Teachers’ Association made a representation against the guidelines before the state govt on Aug 21, it said.The amicus said interactions with professors at GMCH indicated that professor posts in Gastroenterology, CVTS, Nephrology and Endocrinology had recently been allotted or diverted to Microbiology, Preventive and Social Medicine, Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics, respectively.She submitted that such diversion could jeopardise the proposed DM courses, particularly the availability of faculty required for super-specialty medical education and training of specialist manpower. The amicus has sought appropriate directions from the court on these issues.
