Wanted in Gujarat: Doctors, nurses & healthcare staff to fight Covid

AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: On March 15, the number of Covid beds in Gujarat was 41,000. This is soon going to touch one lakh if one counts Covid Care Centres (CCC).
As the state steps up its fight against the deadly second wave of Covid-19 infection by adding more than 5,000 beds in coming days, it stares at a major challenge of securing human resources for the makeshift Covid hospitals considering that the pool of available healthcare workers has virtually remained almost the same.

Recruitment of medical and para-medical staff is already proving to be a struggle in the pandemic. While the state health department has roped in about 4,000-odd doctors through direct recruitment and enforcing Epidemic Act, a recent recruitment drive in Surat saw only 37 MBBS graduates turning up against 80 posts of medical officer.
Likewise, the 950-oxygen bed Dhanvantari Covid Hospital in Ahmedabad which has started work with staff from the paramilitary and Navy needs 200 trained and experienced nurses.
The demand has arisen at the time when even major hospitals such as Civil Hospital have 20 to 30% staff crunch at different levels. Higher payouts of Rs 2.5L for specialist doctors and Rs1.25L for medical officers too is unable to attract doctors in huge numbers to join Covid-19 duties.
In Vadodara, SSG Hospital is planning a satellite facility in MS University campus with 500 beds. But the project is being delayed due to staff crunch. SSGH in-charge superintendent Dr R G Aiyer said that attempts were being made to rope in staff and the state government is also looking into the matter.
‘It’s a challenge to retain talent’
Dr Devendra Patel, president of Gujarat chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA), said it is quite impossible to get doctors at short notice. “Practising doctors might not be interested in the short-term assignments. Another segment of retired doctors is also unlikely to re-join,” he said.
Dr Bharat Gadhvi, president of Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA) said it has become a challenge even to retain good talent. “All the hospitals have hiked payouts and are offering incentives and perks like free medical care for the staff to retain talent. While doctors are secured by almost all hospitals, nursing and other staff is an issue for many,” he said.
Babu Thomas, chief HR officer (CHRO) of Shalby Group of Hospitals, said that they have gone as far as Odisha, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh to get healthcare workers. “Healthcare HR and talent management, which was considered a nonindustry HR, is gaining the reputation as the frontline warriors and managing the crisis,” he said, adding that specialist doctors is also an issue due to their limited number. “They need to stretch very hard to cover a large number like never before.”
Experts said that many MBBS graduates have chosen to prepare for PG-NEET over Covid jobs.
It’s the reason that several corporate-funded or hospital-operated Covid care centres too are struggling to get staff for temporary hospitals.
It’s the dream run for the 18,000-odd nursing students and graduates who are lapped up by all quarters. Brijesh Patel, secretary of All Gujarat Self-Financed Nursing College Association, said that they are getting regular requests for 15 to 100 nurses on a go. “Only those who don’t wish to join don’t have work today,” he said. Karishma Shroff, principal of Sahajanand Nursing College, said that they witnessed record campus placement in the past one year where major recruiters were corporate hospitals.