Amid Covid crisis, AMC hospitals find no one to take the helm

LG Hospital hasn’t had a medical superintendent for 2 years, VS Hospital for 1.5 years and Shardaben Hospital for a year; despite advertising twice, AMC did not get any applications for the posts

At a time when the health infrastructure in Ahmedabad is under tremendous stress due to the Covid-19 pandemic, three hospitals run by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation are functioning without a dedicated medical superintendent. At all the three hospitals—LG Hospital, VS Hospital and Shardaben Hospital— it is the in-charge medical superintendents who have been running the show. Ironically, no one wants to take up the job, supposedly due to the mostly non-medical responsibilities that come with the position.

LG Hospital hasn’t had a medical superintendent for the past two years. The seat fell vacant after the suspension of Dr RC Shah who had been caught by ACB for allegedly accepting bribe. Dr Sandip Malhan, the then medical superintendent of VS Hospital, was transferred to SVP Hospital in January 2019. The post has been vacant since.

The post at Shardaben Hospital has been vacant since Dr Yogendra Modi retired last year.

Currently, Dr Sanjay Tripathi is the incharge medical superintendent of LG Hospital, Dr Manish Patel of VS Hospital and Dr Hetal Vora of Shardaben Hospital.


Towards the end of 2019, the civic body placed an advertisement inviting applications for the position at all the three hospitals. However, it did not receive any response. Sometime later, it again placed the ad but no one answered it.

Mayor Bijal Patel, who by virtue of her position is also the chairperson of all AMC-run hospitals, said, “We had placed ads twice, but did not get any applications. Now, we will seek applications again. It was stuck because of Covid, but we will take it up soon. At present, in-charge superintendents are running the show.”

According to doctors, being a medical superintendent involves a lot of work other than discharging medical duties. The person must oversee the smallest of work being carried out at the hospital alongside other duties. All of this becomes burdensome. A doctor on condition of anonymity told Mirror, “We studied so much to become experts in our field and to treat patients.


We can do that properly, not administration and other paperwork. If I have studied to become a master of surgery, how can I leave that aside to do administration work? Hence, not many doctors are willing to take up the responsibility of medical superintendent.”

Dinesh Sharma, leader of opposition in AMC, said, “Hospitals should have a permanent medical superintendent for proper administration and to make sure that patients get adequate medical facilities for patients. But the authorities are not interested in these issues. This pandemic has shown us how important it is to have strong hospital infrastructure. The authorities must sort out any existing issue in this matter and fill up the vacant positions as soon as possible.”