Shortage of doctors and technicians is plaguing government hospitals in Agency areas of Visakhapatnam

Shortage of doctors and technicians is plaguing government hospitals in the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam district. Though many of the hospitals have the required beds and equipment, the lack of speci

Shortage of doctors and technicians is plaguing government hospitals in the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam district. Though many of the hospitals have the required beds and equipment, the lack of specialist doctors and technicians to operate the equipment is forcing the tribal people to go to far distant places for treatment. A team from Praja Arogya Vedika (PAV), an NGO, conducted a field study in the Agency areas recently to know the health problems of the tribal people. “Though the government has increased the bed strength, there is no hike in the hospital budget or proportionate increase in the number of doctors. Even the sanctioned medical officer posts are not being filled. The 150-bed Area Hospital at Araku has only two doctors and the District Hospital at Paderu has only four doctors as against the requirement of 34 doctors,” says PAV general secretary T. Kameswara Rao.