With the district expecting a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases, which is predicted to affect around 50% of the population in the next few weeks, and criticism for lack of staff in COVID-19 hospitals pouring in, the district administration is in the process of recruiting over 2,000 staff, which includes doctors, staff nurses, nursing oderlies, technicians and sanitary workers.

According to Collector V. Vinay Chand, over 80% of the recruitment has been completed and of them most of them have been deputed. The remaining vacancies will be filled in the next one week, he said.

Among all the hospitals, Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) is receiving the maximum flak for its lack of adequate staff, prompting the district administration to recruit 582 persons under various categories.

Giving a broad break-up, the Collector informed The Hindu that of the 582 recruitments, 213 are staff nurses and the recruitment has been completed and many have already joined duty.

The others include 172 nursing orderlies (both male and female), 28 data entry operators, 64 technicians who are trained to operated EEG, ECG, OT, three-line oxygen and blood bank, 25 junior assistants on the clerical and administrative side, 31 officer subordinates, 35 stretcher bearers and others.

On the clinical side, 90 doctors and 30 PG students from speciality and super-speciality wings such as general medicine, neurology, nephrology, gastroenterology and pulmonology have been deputed. The bed strength also has been increased from 550 to 750. With the new recruitment of nurses, the 100 nurses who were deputed from KGH have been transferred back to KGH, said Mr. Vinay Chand.

To see the smooth functioning of VIMS, this apart, Dr. Venugopal, HoD Paediatrics KGH, has been posted as OSD and Joint Collector Venugopal Reddy has been made the nodal officer of VIMS and he will assisted by two district officers. Apart from the existing fleet of ambulances, five new ambulances have been exclusively deputed to VIMS, he added.

Coming to the other seven government COVID hospitals, such as Area Hospitals at Narsipatnam and Araku, district hospitals at Paderu and Anakapalle, GHCCD, KGH Oncology ward and KGH, apart from filling up all posts below medical officers, about 175 new recruits have been made, the postings will be given in a day or two, said Mr. Vinay Chand.Coming to the 14 private hospitals that have been roped in as COVID hospitals, 265 nursing orderlies and 230 sweepers have been recruited. The recruitment process for 500 staff nurses is on and it will be done in a week’s time, he said.

‘Specialists shortlisted’

According to the Collector, 410 IMA registered specialist doctors have been shortlisted and appointment letters sent. “We expect that at least 75% will join in the next two days. Despite they being posted at government hospitals, the State government will pay a salary of ₹1.5 lakh per month. All they have to do is to take up eight hours of duty, with one week on-duty and one week off-duty, as per COVID protocol,” he said.