Come next month, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) hospitals would be left with very few doctors to treat the patients.
Reason: The state government has recently shot off a letter to the BBMP, which is already facing a shortage of doctors for its hospitals, to repatriate its doctors who are working on deputation.
According to a BBMP source, the state government has directed the BBMP to send back its 41 doctors who are on deputation. "Due to the shortage of the doctors, the BBMP had been availing the service of deputation doctors from the state government.
However, with the doctors not willing to go to the rural health centres, there was a severe shortage of doctors in the rural districts. So, the state health ministry made the decision to send its repatriated doctors and medical staff to rural areas," the source said.
The BBMP has six referral hospitals, 25 maternity hospitals, 28 health centres in Old Bangalore (100 wards) alone. Source said that the BBMP has a sanctioned post of 91 doctors but has only seven permanent doctors while 84 posts lie vacant.
But due to the delay in recruitment for the post by the government, the BBMP had been managing with deputation doctors.
With the government ordered to take back the its doctors, the BBMP is now making a desperate attempt to recruit medical doctors on contract basis till the government orders for recruitment.
"We are recruiting doctors on contract basis till the permanent doctors are recruited by the government," said BBMP standing committee for health chairman Dr Geetha Shivakumar.
However, another sources in the BBMP said that the appointment of doctors on contract basis would take some time.
BBMP is not just facing a shortage of doctors, it is also severely short on staff nurses and office attenders.
"Without the nurses, the doctors will find it very difficult to attend to the patients. There is a shortage of more than 150 staff nurses in the BBMP hospitals," source said.
Meanwhile, BBMP commissioner Siddaiah met the chief secretary and decided to relieve the doctors as per the government order. "While the 41 doctors on deputation will be relieved, we will recruit retired doctors for the post until the new recruitment takes place.
The state government has agreed to recruit the doctors within four to five months.
"Meanwhile, we have also sent a memo seeking some time for relieving of the doctors till the new recruitment are done," he said and added that the government doctors were deputed to the BBMP hospitals based on the provision of the Cadre and Recruitment Rules 1967 which mentions that 50% of the doctors can be taken on deputation.
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