Medical superintendents (MS) and medical directors (MD) are the heads of the hospitals who take daily supervision rounds, attend to grievances of patient and staff, and inspect stocks of drugs and other essential items.
Crucial issues related to patients, doctors and nurses at several government hospitals in Delhi are said to be lingering. The reason? A shortage of heads of hospitals, including medical superintendents and medical directors, with one senior doctor looking after two or more hospitals.
Medical superintendents (MS) and medical directors (MD) are the heads of the hospitals who take daily supervision rounds, attend to grievances of patient and staff, and inspect stocks of drugs and other essential items. They look after planning the further development of the hospital and making emergency decisions. They also ensure the OPD (outpatient department) registration counters are running smoothly.
Delhi government’s biggest hospital Lok Nayak Hospital, and Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital are being looked after by one head – Dr Suresh Kumar. GTB Hospital, the second largest hospital of the Delhi government, and Hedgewar Hospital are headed by Dr Asmita Rathore.
A senior doctor from the Lok Nayak Hospital, on condition of anonymity, said heading a medical institute is a full-time job and if a medical superintendent or a medical director is not able to dedicate his or her time fully to one place, important concerns remain unaddressed and critical tasks remain pending. “For instance, at Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, there is a vacancy in nursing… but no hiring has been taking place,” he added. Resident doctors at the hospital complained two months ago about the street dog menace after at least 25 dog bite cases but no action was taken. “It is the MS/MD who writes to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) regarding such issues,” he said.
During a recent inspection at one of the government hospitals by Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, as per sources, it was found that some of the OPD counters were shut. “It is the duty of a medical superintendent to ensure OPD registration counters are running without any delay or disruption. If there are no dedicated heads of hospitals, it will lead to challenges,” the source added.
An official from the Delhi Health Department also cited non-recruitment of Group-A officers as one of the factors behind the shortage. Medical directors and medical superintendents appointed at Delhi government hospitals are Group-A officers and the hiring is carried out by the central government, the official added.
At Indira Gandhi Hospital, the shortage of essential medicines was raised in June by resident doctors of the hospital. Of 322 essential drugs, 117 were not available and resident doctors were told to prescribe only available drugs.
According to Dr Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, former inspector, the National Medical Commission (NMC), if the administration has not been appointing medical directors at the hospitals attached with medical colleges, it implies lethargy on the part of the system. “One cannot work for two or three hospitals with medical colleges attached to them. Handling one hospital is enough… it is a full-time job,” he said. At every hospital, he added, there are more than 20 departments.
When contacted for a response, an official with Delhi government said Saurabh Bhardwaj had a meeting with Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar on April 8 where the issue was discussed. At the meeting, it was highlighted the administrations of 17 hospitals and DGHS (Directorate General of Health Services) were being affected since the proposal of posting officials is pending with the National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) He also blamed the CS for giving additional charge of six hospitals to doctors who already hold charge of one hospital.