Medical fraternity in Puducherry appeals for recruitment of staff along with procurement of new equipment

Puducherry government to purchase new diagnostic tools for healthcare sector, but doctors and nurses vacancies need to be filled.

While the government health care sector is set to witness a major augmentation through purchase of new diagnostic tools at a cost of around ₹90 crore, doctors and paramedical staff want the Health Department to speed up the process to fill existing vacancies of doctors and nurses.

After a long wait for procurement of medical infrastructure in primary to tertiary health care centres, the government had started the process to buy equipment, ranging from ENT headlights to MRI machines, for Primary Health Centres and the Government Medical College with the intent to provide quality treatment.

The Health Department has already purchased Echocardiography machines, Anaesthesia Work Station, Multi Para Monitors, Autoclaves, Ophthalmic Operating Microscopes and ENT headlights using own funds and money allocated by the Union Government under the National Health Mission.

In another major move towards augmenting health care facility, the Health Department had started the process to buy around 18 high tech equipment such as Integrated Powered Drill and Debrider system, Bipolar Diathermy Electrosurgical Unit, CO2 Fraction Laser, Digital Mammography, CT and MRI scanners using funds availed from Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

“We have got approval for a negotiated loan of ₹90 crore from SIDBI for the purchase of new equipment. The new purchases are made after almost eight years. We will be spending around ₹25 crore by this March and the remaining amount before December this year. The purchases are made for the first time in a centralised manner with thrust on buying Make in India products,” an official told The Hindu.

The induction of the new equipment, the official said, would improve patient care in all government health care centres in all the regions of the Union Territory. “It is certainly going to improve patient care at Government General Hospital in Puducherry. We didn’t have a MRI scanner and all these days patients were referred to Medical College. It creates lot of inconvenience to patients,”’ said a doctor at the GH.

However, the procurement of new equipment will not get the desired results if the government continues to delay the recruitment of staff, including doctors, specialists, nurses, lab technicians and pharmacists.