Around 1,600 Patients from Haryana’s Narnaul travelled a huge 120m km distance to Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharm Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak for a basic MRI test.
The post of civil surgeon at the Civil Hospital Narnaul has been lying vacant for the past three months. The hospital lacks basic facilities such as an MRI and a CT scan.
The patients have to either travel to Rohtak or pay a hefty amount to a private hospital for their daily scans and health checkups.
Keeping aside the lack of equipment, the administrative staff is also being affected as two posts of senior medical officer (SMO) at Narnaul and five at Mahendargarh Civil Hospital are vacant.
Even 37 out of 178 medical officer posts across Mahendargarh district are lying vacant, further causing frustrations for the patients seeking imminent treatment.
An officer from Narnaul Civil Hospital on conditions of anonymity said, “The post of dermatologist is vacant at the Narnaul hospital and gynaecologists from Gurugram have been deputed there on a rotational basis. The charge of Civil Surgeon has also been given to an SMO. Ultrasound facility is also not available at the Civil Hospital in Mahendragarh, forcing the patients either to go to Narnaul or private hospitals.”
Mahendargarh’s Ateli constituency is represented by Health Minister Arti Singh Rao, Residents of the district are confident Rao will be able to provide modern health facilities to them.
“Following Arti's elevation, locals are confident about getting modern healthcare facilities in government hospitals in the district. She provided a gynaecologist at the Narnaul hospital as soon as she came to know that patients were suffering,” said Abhay, a resident of Narnaul, adding that locals were expecting more such steps in the coming days.
Narnaul’s general hospital has been upgraded with 200 beds and a trauma centre has also been set up.
Dr Dharmendra Singh, officiating Civil Surgeon, Narnaul, said they had moved a proposal to the state government, requesting it to provide MRI, CT scan and CATH lab facilities at the hospital. “The process to recruit medical officers is underway,” he said, adding that a proposal to provide a dialysis facility at the government healthcare centres in Kanina and Ateli towns had also been submitted to the government.
Follow us
