MCI team inspects JAH

A medical team of the Medical Council of India (MCI) came to the JAH for an inspection. This was in response to a proposal by the hospital to increase the PG course seats in the Radiology department.

The team comprising of Dr Mohammed Khalid and other doctors visited the OPD and the radiology department and held discussions with the faculty before taking a head count of the PG students. Currently the department has 6 PG seats and the proposal is to increase this number.

Despite being the largest group of hospitals in the region, the JAH has always been plagued with the scarcity of doctors and medicines. The ever-growing shortage of doctors at JAH is clear from the number of patients who sit for hours in waiting rooms, some of them even returning without finding a doctor. Many of those patients had travelled long distances to reach the hospital.

Shortage of doctors is nothing new for this prestigious hospital as several posts are lying vacant for many years. Even the higher authorities, including the ministers and the law makers from the Gwalior Chambal Division donot seem to be making any efforts to fill these seats despite the fact that the CM and other ministers of the state have been promising to provide better medical facilities to the people of the region.

During the last five years the number of patients in the hospital has almost doubled while the number of doctors has dropped due to various reasons. The number of patients coming to the OPD in 2012 was 1085 on an average which went up to 2022 in 2017. Out of the 3,27,889 patients that had come to the hospital in 2012, 58305 had to be admitted. The number in 2017 went up to 6, 23, 963 outpatients and 87680 in-patients.

During this period 9 doctors left the hospital to join other hospitals and no new appointments have been made.

Talking to the media persons, Sharad Jain, Minster of Health and Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh said that the construction of a 1000 bed new hospital at JAH will begin very soon. He added that the vacant posts of medical staff will be filled shortly.

Dr JS Sikarwar, the Medical Superintend of JAH said that the construction of the new hospital and the Super Specialty Centre will come as a big relief to the patients.